Man, after Trump got reelected, Harvard prof Steven Levitsky was crushed, like straight up fetal position, ice cream and hockey kinda mood. He’s a big deal in the political science world, wrote a book about how democracies can die – real uplifting stuff. And then boom, Trump wins again, and Levitsky’s like, “What the heck, man?” The dude was not happy about it, felt like a gut punch, personal and all that jazz.
But now, Levitsky’s back in action, sounding the alarm about Trump’s shady moves. He’s all about how Trump’s second term is like a ticking time bomb for democracy, trying to mess with the election results, defying court orders, messing with Harvard, you name it. It’s like a reality show on steroids, but way less entertaining.
Trump has Harvard in his sights, freezing grants, making demands left and right. Levitsky and his crew ain’t having it, though. They’re flexing their academic muscles, standing up to the man in charge, saying, “Nah, we ain’t playing your game.” And Harvard’s president, Alan Garber, is like, “Nah, we ain’t complying.” And then Trump’s like, “Fine, I’ll take away your tax exemption.” Drama, drama, drama.
Levitsky’s all about fighting the good fight, rallying the troops. He’s all, “We gotta push back, use our power, ’cause we ain’t gonna let Trump steamroll us.” And he’s got a point, you know? It’s like a David vs. Goliath situation, but with more politics and less slingshots.
Before all this craziness, Levitsky was just a regular dude from Ithaca, NY, doing his thing, studying democracy in Latin America, writing academic stuff about political parties. Then Trump happened, and he was like, “Whoa, this is familiar.” Him and his buddy Daniel Ziblatt wrote a book, “How Democracies Die,” which was a hit among liberals, even Biden was into it. Levitsky became a rock star in the academic world, doing interviews, advising politicians, and getting hate from the other side.
Levitsky’s got this class on democracy and authoritarianism, dropping knowledge about how dictators operate and how they stick around. He’s all about sharing his wisdom, inspiring the students to fight against injustice. And the students and retirees who show up to listen are all like, “Thanks, man, we appreciate your work.” Levitsky’s like, “No prob, just keep resisting.”
The dude’s hopeful, though, believes in the power of democracy and civil society. He’s all, “We got the muscle to fight back, we can’t let Trump win.” And Harvard’s ready to throw down, taking on the big bad administration. Levitsky’s feeling pumped, like, “Harvard’s got this, time to show them who’s boss.” And the crowd goes wild, or at least they clap, which is pretty wild for an academic lecture.
So yeah, the battle’s on, Harvard vs. Trump, democracy vs. authoritarianism. And Levitsky’s leading the charge, ready to kick some political butt. It’s like a real-life drama, but with less script and more sweatpants. Let’s see how this showdown plays out.
