http://dx.doi.org/10.59704/1a426939142f68ac https://verfassungsblog.de/militant-democracy-populism/ Defending Democracy Against Itself - Paradoxes of Militant Democracy Bugaric, Bojan eng 2026-01-06 electronic resource text/html ddc:342 Authoritarian Populism Democracy Theory Militant Democracy Populism Streitbare Demokratie democracy Streitbare Demokratie Verfassungsblog Verfassungsblog--2366-7044 CC BY-SA 4.0 Five years ago today, Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol after his defeat in the 2020 election. Two years ago, in Trump v. Anderson, the U.S. Supreme Court kept Trump on the presidential ballot. What would the world look like if militant democracy had prevailed in the United States? Maybe not so different after all. Democracy is best defended not by banning its opponents, but by renewing popular support through participation, persuasion, and substantive reform.