The nation is in deep crisis, Perryman warns

From the economy and environment to civil rights and elections, the nation is in deep crisis, said Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward.

“We have seen just in the last year the president of the United States engage in a terror campaign against people and communities in this country, making working families worse off, depriving people of basic food and nutrition, disappearing people without due process, treating court orders as if they are a suggestion, making misrepresentations to federal courts, threatening his political enemies,” she said during the “State of Democracy” virtual town hall her organization hosted Feb. 23.

Speaking one day before President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, she and others described the threats facing key institutions and highlighted the successful work individuals and organizations are doing to protect against a backsliding democracy.

The event coincided with the organization’s release of a report, “The State of Democracy in the United States and the Work to Rebuild It,” which covers the same issues as the town hall plus diving into education, immigration, global leadership and climate science.

Perryman continued by describing the breadth of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to eliminate constitutional freedoms. These include threatening protesters, establishing black sites in foreign countries, invading American cities and threatening the nation’s closest allies.

“This is a political leader and a political movement seeking to consolidate power. This administration over the past year has been seeking to dismantle democratic systems and norms, to dismantle the functions of the federal government, to dismantle things that used to unite us all in order to be able to take steps to consolidate its power,” she said.

But Perryman cautioned against despair because Trump has yet to fully succeed in his takeover of the country: “That is where everyone on this call tonight comes in. The state of democracy is in crisis, but what we have seen over the past year is that people in this country are strong, communities are resilient, and people are saying across the country that they are not going to let democracy go down without a word from the people and without a fight.”

One of the key arenas for that fight has been the court system, she added, where 70% to 80% of the 700 lawsuits filed against the administration have been successful.

But the main struggle is pushing back against Trump’s message that Americans are powerless to resist domination, and they should simply surrender and remain silent.

“That’s the No. 1 tool autocratic actors use to consolidate their power. And what we have seen over the past year is that people in communities have been showing up, they have been supporting their neighbor, they are showing up in new ways in the same way that we and our partners continue to show up in the halls of government and courts and communities everywhere we can,” Perryman said.

Elections and voting rights will be a huge fight this year, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read said. “The Trump administration is really laying the groundwork to interfere in the 2026 election, and Oregon is on the front lines of this fight. We’re facing some of the most intense threats and intimidation, but we’re pushing back and we’re winning at the same time.”

Trump cut all federal support for cybersecurity in local elections offices and issued an executive order in March 2025 tightening who can vote in elections. However, a federal judge barred federal agencies from complying with the order in January.

The U.S. Department of Justice unsuccessfully sued more than 20 states, including Oregon, to obtain private voter registration lists. So far, at least four of those suits have been dismissed.

The SAVE America Act recently introduced in Congress would make it harder for many Americans, including women, Blacks and poor people, to participate in elections. In addition to Trump’s efforts to nationalize elections, ally Steve Bannon has called for the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to polling places.

“It’s not random, it’s coordinated, and it’s meant to undermine and possibly even attempt to overturn American elections because this administration knows that the majority of Americans don’t agree with their reckless, cruel agenda. They know that if Americans get a free, fair vote, they will lose,” Read said.

Americans can participate in efforts to save elections by confirming their voter status is up to date and that they have a plan to vote. “Tell all your friends and family and everyone who is engaged. Be ready and don’t give up that opportunity.”

There has been some success using free-speech arguments against the administration’s policies banning diversity, equity and inclusion, said Damon Hewitt, president of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights.

The organization represented a Chicago nonprofit that helped Black women train and find well-paying union jobs. But the U.S. Department of Labor ordered Chicago Women in Trades to cease all DEI-related programs or lose its federal grant.

“Equity is everything that the organization does, it’s built into its mission and so they thought they had no choice but to challenge this administration in court. And the First Amendment once again was a key part of the legal claims,” Hewitt said.

A judge granted the group a restraining order, explaining Trump’s executive order banishing DEI did not adequately define DEI. “What’s so incredible is that this group of women leaders standing up has actually paved the way for others,” Hewitt said.

Businesses must resist administration actions that damage the U.S. economy, said Rhett Buttle, senior adviser with Small Business for America’s Future.

Trump’s economic policies, including tariffs, have contributed to stock market volatility and rising costs, which in turn generate consumer anxiety and difficulty in hiring and retaining employees.

“We’re working in this unstable system and that’s making it really hard for small businesses and working families to thrive,” Buttle said.

Business owners concerned about alienating customers or backlash must understand that silence is complicity, he added. “We really need responsible engagement from businesses in rejecting political intimidation and speaking out when politics and policy is overreaching and creating harm for our long-term economic competitiveness.”