Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams
Episode: How to Defeat Authoritarianism in 2026
Date: December 18, 2025
Host: Stacey Abrams (with Associate Producer Farrah Safari)
Podcast: Crooked Media
Overview
In the year-end episode of "Assembly Required," Stacey Abrams (joined by Farrah Safari) addresses the audience’s big questions in a listener-focused, actionable conversation. The main theme centers on resisting, combating, and building beyond American authoritarianism—with special attention to concrete steps, the evolving dynamics in the courts and Congress, Democratic strategy, election integrity, and the exhaustion that comes from ongoing political struggle. The episode also offers personal reflections, international context, and ends on an uplifting, community-driven note.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Year in Review: Reflection and Realities (02:35–05:08)
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Fragility of American Systems
- Abrams shares feeling "amazed at how fragile our systems are" after a year under Trump’s return to power.
- Emphasizes that "meanness, cruelty, and intentionality of harm" were not surprising; what stands out is "how much we need to still protect" (03:43).
- Quote:
"This venerable nation, built on infrastructure and constitution and norms, quickly collapsed... because we had for so long presumed we all had a shared goal" (03:44–04:03).
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Focus Moving Forward
- Abrams feels “emboldened” to focus on what we can build, not just defend.
Listener Questions: Strategies to Defeat Authoritarianism
1. What’s the Game Plan? (05:32–08:54)
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Three Steps to Defeat Authoritarianism:
- Recognize Its Existence (“We are in the midst of... competitive authoritarianism.”)
- Activate Around Resistance
- Referencing their "10 Steps campaign"
- Not just about elections—must also deliver alternative visions/services.
- Build What Comes Next
- True victory comes from fixing broken systems, not simply restoring the past.
- “If we only resort to what we had, we are simply inviting authoritarianism to come back.”
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Quote:
“But if we do those three things—recognize the problem, activate our resistance, and build the next thing—that is how you eventually and permanently topple authoritarianism.” —Stacey Abrams (08:48)
2. The Role of the Courts (09:54–13:30)
- Limits and Significance of Lower Courts:
- Lower courts are “laying the groundwork for what we have to fix,” even if SCOTUS is hostile.
- The process of resistance is cumulative; “the more they did so, the more we built not just a body of law, [but] a body of narrative.”
- Quote:
“The lower courts can be effective. They’re not going to stop him, but they can slow him down. ... We need them to help slow down the speed of evil, to slow down the speed of pain, but also to build the blocks that are going to help us build the next thing we deserve.” (12:25–13:12)
3. Congressional Democrats: Ineffective or Muted? (14:27–19:21)
- Problem: Many in Congress don’t see current events as authoritarianism, but as “an extreme version of normal politics.”
- Governors Are More Active: State and local officials experience authoritarian expansion firsthand.
- Need for Relentlessness:
- “We have to be relentless about articulating what harm is being done.”
- Need an “echo chamber of democracy.”
4. Breaking Through the Noise and “Being Cool” (19:21–24:28)
- On Democratic ‘Cringiness’ and Criticism:
- Authenticity trumps trying to be cool or mimicking the right.
- Quote:
“We so often apologize for who we are and what we need. They are loud and wrong, and we are right and quiet.” (20:37)
- Influence and authenticity are more important than viral moments.
- Encourage leaders to be “who we are” so people “see themselves in us.”
5. Should Democrats Be More Progressive? (24:38–31:57)
- On Centrism:
- Abrams criticizes the tendency to pursue centrist voters over non-voting aligned citizens.
- Problematizes centrist positions when they compromise values:
“I don’t know what the centrist position on racism is. What’s the moderate posture on bigotry? What is the median for hate?” (25:39)
- Need values clarity to provide voters with certainty.
6. Election Integrity and Bottom-Up Action (31:57–38:28)
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Voter Suppression Is Real, But So Is Agency:
- Voter suppression is systematic (“can you register and stay on the rolls, can you cast a ballot and does your ballot get counted?”).
- Protection comes from both organizations and individual involvement: “We are they. … We’ve got to start showing up.”
- Recommends Fair Fight, League of Women Voters, and Common Cause as starter organizations for local activism.
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“Dunkirk” Analogy:
- Many small actions by many people can rescue democracy:
“We only need, like, 12 million of us doing stuff over and over again.” Refers to Erica Chenoweth’s “3.5% Rule” (38:28).
- Many small actions by many people can rescue democracy:
International Context & Lessons (41:12–49:20)
- Germany, Hungary, Turkey, Venezuela:
- Abrams details how the Weimar Republic fell in just 18 days—legal, rapid descent to full ethnofascism/authoritarianism.
- Authoritarianism is not about a single figure:
“Trump is not the end goal … He is the avatar.” (44:13)
- Systems, structures, and culture cement authoritarianism even after leaders are gone; real change requires shifting these, not just ousting figureheads.
- The real aim of authoritarianism is exhaustion of the opposition, fostering complacency.
On Republican Lawmakers & MAGA Movement (49:32–53:18)
- Disagreement with the idea that Democrats can or should "corner" anti-Trump Republicans in Congress.
- Many in GOP leadership may dislike Trump’s methods, but not his goals.
- Conversion of core beliefs is rare; “lecture someone out of their beliefs” is not a viable strategy.
- Focus should be on mobilizing those who already share pro-democracy values (“Getting Baptists to go to church”).
Action, Inspiration & Community
Audience Spotlights & Personal Growth (70:30–77:23)
- Listeners shared stories of impactful local/state activism:
- Canvassing in North Carolina led to flipped counties.
- Persistently writing to state senators in Indiana affected redistricting debates.
- Community leadership in Florida’s LGBTQ movement.
- Quote:
“The micro, when knitted together, the micro becomes the universe and that becomes our reality.” (70:22)
Reflection & Uplift (64:45–68:54)
- Stacey shares what she’s learned: impact multiplies when sharing privilege, experience, and hope—“my utility is real.”
- Emphasizes that no one person fixes everything, but, “I learned that I could be part of the solution. … I was ready to do something. And that, to me, is just a gift.” (67:08)
Quick-fire & Light Moments (54:03–61:37, 77:23–78:25)
- Favorite holiday food tradition: Christmas dinner and family performances (54:21–55:35)
- Top reads:
- God of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- On Tyranny
- Now Then by Morgan Radford (57:49)
- Dream adaptation: The Phantom Tollbooth (60:37)
- New Year’s Resolutions: Abrams seeks to “give myself permission to try hard, to make mistakes and to try again.” (77:23)
Notable Quotes & Timestamps
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On System Collapse:
"This venerable nation, built on infrastructure and constitution and norms, quickly collapsed... because we had for so long presumed we all had a shared goal." (03:44)
-
On Defeating Authoritarianism:
"But if we do those three things, if we recognize the problem, activate our resistance, and then build the next thing, that is how you eventually and permanently topple authoritarianism." (08:54)
-
On Lower Courts:
"The lower courts can be effective. They’re not going to stop him, but they can slow him down." (12:34)
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On Party Authenticity:
"They are loud and wrong, and we are right and quiet." (20:37) "Our authenticity is our brand." (23:50)
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On Centrism:
"I don’t know what the centrist position on racism is. What’s the moderate posture on bigotry? What is the median for hate?" (25:39)
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On the Power of Small Actions:
"It’s the small, insistent, repetitive actions that reaffirm the nature of democracy. That’s what works. And the nature of democracy is people in service to each other." (46:36)
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On Assumptions About Republican Motives:
"Marjorie Taylor Greene is not a Democrat. She just didn’t like how it was being done. She didn’t disagree with the outcome. She disagreed with methodology." (52:29)
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On Collective Community Effort:
"The micro, when knitted together, the micro becomes the universe and that becomes our reality." (70:22)
Timestamps for Major Segments
- Reflections and Opening: 02:35–05:08
- Defeating Authoritarianism Steps: 05:32–08:54
- Courts and Resistance: 09:54–13:30
- Congress Dems/Governorships: 14:27–19:21
- Coolness/Authenticity of Democrats: 19:21–24:28
- On Progressivism vs. Centrism: 24:38–31:57
- Election Security/Easy Steps: 31:57–38:28
- International Lessons: 41:12–49:20
- TAG-TEAM Approach to Resistance: 47:21–49:20
- Republican Crossovers: 49:32–53:18
- Listener Spotlights: 70:30–76:52
- Final Reflections/New Year’s Resolution: 77:23–78:25
Closing Thoughts
Stacey Abrams closes the year with gratitude for listeners who did their “homework,” participated in civic action, and helped to knit a new reality from myriad small efforts. The episode serves as a motivational handbook for resisting authoritarianism in America: stay aware, stay active, support each other, find your authentic voice, and—most importantly—keep showing up, even when exhausted. As Abrams reminds us, “We can each do something, somewhere, soon.”