The Crisis of American Democracy: Understanding the MAGA Era

This interview follows a talk given by Lincoln A. Mitchell, Political Analyst, Essayist and Lecturer at Columbia University, at IRIS on 11 December 2025.

Reinforced by the second term of the MAGA movement in power, the United States is facing a profound democratic crisis. Although widely discussed, the MAGA movement often remains insufficiently analysed as a political and social phenomenon. We asked him several questions to better understand the origins and dynamics of the current democratic crisis in the United States and, more broadly, the global challenges facing contemporary democracies.

• What are the roots of the current democracy crisis in the United States?
• What are today the core pillars of the MAGA movement?
• How do international comparisons help us understand whether the American democratic crisis is unique or part of a broader global democratic backsliding?