Predicted Timeframe for Salvaging U.S. Democracy: One Historian from Oxford University Offers a Grim Outlook, Spanning Several Days
In an essay published in The Guardian, Timothy Garton Ash, a distinguished professor of European studies at the University of Oxford, has issued a stark warning to Americans: they have just 400 days to save their democracy.
Garton Ash spent seven weeks in the US this summer, and his personal observations during this period have led him to this dire prediction. He was shaken by the speed and executive brutality of President Trump's assault on U.S. democracy.
The professor's warning is not rooted in the Democratic party's policies or leadership, but rather in the need for the GOP-controlled Congress to start doing its job again and keep the White House in check. He notes the desperate weakness of resistance to that assault.
Garton Ash, an internationally acclaimed contemporary historian focusing on Europe's history since 1945, currently holds the position of senior fellow (adjunct) at the Hoover Institution and a professor at Oxford University.
The essay, which did not specify a date of publication, also urges the Democrats to bring the economic costs of Trump's policies home to voters. He emphasises that this is crucial, not just the defense of democracy or engaging in culture wars.
The 2026 midterms are of paramount importance in this context, as Garton Ash hopes the Democrats regain control of the House. This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
While Trump's controversial policies may cause economic harm, there is a possibility that he may do a pre-election cash handout to voters. However, Garton Ash maintains that his prediction is not hyperbole, as he would have liked to believe.
