Members of the military attend a meeting convened by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, at Marine Corps Base Quantico, in Quantico, Virginia, U.S., September 30, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Former U.S. Navy Officer Michael Bedenbaugh is sounding the alarm that the United States remains at risk of authoritarian rule if Americans stop fighting back.
Bedenbaugh, who is now a historical preservationist, told the Irish Star that President Donald Trump's "insidious phenomenon" of authoritarianism isn't normal for the U.S. but it can happen "anywhere." He attributes it to "the natural condition of how we've governed ourselves" and says it has been that way "ever since human beings have existed."
"Because people want to control things," Bedenbaugh told the Star. "And that has been the form of government most people have relied upon."
The trick is to keep people "comfortable" as rights and freedoms slowly slip away.
"And the small minority of folks who don't like that, well, they either get executed or exiled," Bedenbaugh continued. "That has tended to be the issue of the human experience."
"What makes our nation so remarkable was that with intention, we had a group of people get together and create something that broke that cycle," he said.
The processes put in place for checks and balances have faltered, leaving citizens to "constantly [watch] over what is happening and how to make sure the rule of law that we have set both the basis of our constitution is followed."
"So one of the things our founders warned us about is that democracies, pure democracies, tend to turn into tyrannies and into authoritarian regimes because things can get confusing and people find solace in a strong person who can guide them out of a dark area," Bedenbaugh explained.
Another problem is the lack of civics education, he argued.
"Close to half [of] this nation does not even understand — just through lack of education — on really how a federal republic is supposed to work in regards to the states and how it was originally formed," Bedenbaugh said.
He has created his own "Project 2026" in his new book, "Reviving Our Republic: 95 Theses for the Future of America," that provides a guide to stop an authoritarian takeover of the U.S.
In it, he argues that the Heritage Foundation's "Project 2025" identifies some problems; however, the solutions all involve giving the executive branch more power. Bedenbaugh wants to see the U.S. lean into constitutional checks and balances instead.