Donald Trump’s victory in November has given rise to much soul-searching among progressives. How could a plurality of U.S. voters embrace a man who seems to relish the persecution of disfavored minorities, from transgender people to Black Americans to immigrants? As I reflect on this dangerous moment, I have come to appreciate that the identity politics of many progressives has made it easier for Trump to pursue his agenda of intolerance.

The common wisdom today holds that autocracy is ascendant, democracy in decline. The reality is more complicated. In country after country in recent years, people living under autocracy have taken to the streets, often at great risk, to demand accountable government. Turkey and Serbia are the latest examples, but we have seen similar popular uprisings from Hong Kong to Nicaragua. Ironically, it is in established democracies that the trend toward autocracy has been most pronounced.

Donald Trump’s victory in November has given rise to much soul-searching among progressives. How could a plurality of U.S. voters embrace a man who seems to relish the persecution of disfavored minorities, from transgender people to Black Americans to immigrants? As I reflect on this dangerous moment, I have come to appreciate that the identity politics of many progressives has made it easier for Trump to pursue his agenda of intolerance.

The common wisdom today holds that autocracy is ascendant, democracy in decline. The reality is more complicated. In country after country in recent years, people living under autocracy have taken to the streets, often at great risk, to demand accountable government. Turkey and Serbia are the latest examples, but we have seen similar popular uprisings from Hong Kong to

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