releases: https://www.slotkin.senate.gov/2026/09/30/icymi-slotkin-delivers-speech-at-carnegie-institution-on-defending-democracy/
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.slotkin.senate.gov/2026/09/30/icymi-slotkin-delivers-speech-at-carnegie-institution-on-defending-democracy/ | ICYMI: Slotkin Delivers Speech at Carnegie Institution on Defending Democracy | 2026-09-30 | 2026 | 2026-09 | Democrat | Senate | MI | Elissa Slotkin | S001208 | www.slotkin.senate.gov | slotkin | https://www.slotkin.senate.gov/newsroom/ | scraper | WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Wednesday, September 30, U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) delivered remarks at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on her takeaways from a recent trip to Hungary and Poland, and how we can use lessons from those countries to protect democracy here in the United States. This follows a speech last year to the Brookings Institution, where Slotkin warned of President Trump’s authoritarian playbook. Following her remarks, she joined Anne Applebaum, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and staff writer for The Atlantic, for a Q&A discussion on lessons learned from global pro-democracy efforts and the future of American democracy. Slotkin’s remarks as prepared Watch full speech READ SOME KEY EXCERPTS BELOW. Two visions for America: But what this last year has clarified for me is that, as leaders, we have a responsibility not to just ‘admire the problem’, as we say at the Pentagon. The American people are looking for a path through the dark tunnel and into the light. President Trump thinks America is unremarkable, mediocre, and in decline. He believes we are not exceptional in our role in the world, and we never were – same as China or Russia. The America I know is filled with big-hearted people, who care about their neighbors and their community, and certainly the future for their kids. A society, stitched together by shared values of fairness and boundless optimism. America is a place where we do big things, and a shared set of laws allows anyone from anywhere to succeed. Toplines from Hungary: Just five months ago, a pro-democracy movement in Hungary achieved what many thought was impossible: they beat their authoritarian leader, Viktor Orban, ending his 16-year regime. Orban was elected in 2010 on the promise that he would put more money in the pockets of average Hungarians.7 While Hungary is not an apples-to-apples comparison to America, the trip helped crystallize some of the very trends we’re seeing here in our country… Authoritarians talk a big game about bringing down costs, but once in power, they enrich themselves at the expense of their own voters. They just can’t help themselves. Eventually, that corruption trickles down to the average person. At this point, Donald Trump is on track to be the most successful corrupt leader in the world’s history. Best estimates are that he and his family have increased their net worth by more than 3.5 billion dollars. At the CIA, I was an Iraq specialist. I spent a lot of time in Baghdad. Let me just say: Saddam Hussein would have spit out his tea at the level of corruption Trump and his family are currently engaged in: Palaces and golden ballrooms and arches dedicated to himself. Saddam would have been green with envy. If we learned anything from Hungary and other authoritarian countries, it’s that eventually we hit a tipping point, and the public will refuse to accept this level of corruption. We have to lift the veil of fear: One of the key tools in authoritarian governments is the wielding of fear. Just think about what Trump has done to our journalists, universities, law firms, and corporations that won’t bow down to him. They’re all just going to ground and trying to stay out of Donald Trump’s firing line. They should be linking arms and working together to push back. But they’re not. Build a broad coalition: In Hungary, the lesson I drew very clearly was that you need a broad coalition to remove an authoritarian like Orban at the polls. Peter Magyar was a young, dynamic newcomer who used social media brilliantly – but just as relevant was the coalition he put together to oust Orban. Here in America, that coalition would be the equivalent of disaffected Trump voters, traditional Democratic voters, and young and first time voters. What we know here in the US, is that a new coalition is needed that crosses party lines to win in 2028. No litmus testing people out of a movement for change. And, I’d offer that after losing two of the last three elections to Trump, insiders in Washington need to accept that it’s no longer Democrat vs. Republicans or Moderates vs. Progressives. That is fighting the last war. The tectonic plates of American politics are shifting beneath our feet. The real divide is those who believe in President Trump’s vision of America – that we have no moral backbone, no core belief system, and we’re in decline – and those who believe that the American spirit still lives… Free and fair elections: The authoritarian playbook is very clear: When you’re at risk of losing, you either A: make up a threat that only you can protect the American people from, or B: find a way for federal law enforcement or the military to seize ballots or machines. In Hungary, Orban used Plan A. One week before his election, he falsely claimed there was a major threat to an oil pipeline in an attempt to be seen as the only true protector. Luckily, the Hungarians saw through it. They knew it was all a ruse. A forward-looking agenda: So, what can we offer a big broad coalition that is willing to vote against a dictator? In my mind, we owe them three things. First: We need to show people that the government can work in concrete ways. Number Two: Accountability. Number Three: We need to Trump-proof the government. Conclusion: I believe that Americans want the best for each other and the future of this country. I believe that we are a people who will build the future with our own two hands – so that our children and grandchildren have a better life to look forward to. And I am optimistic because this isn’t the only time in our country’s history we’ve had a rough period. Even if it sometimes feels that way. If you’re like me and history gives you hope, then just think about all these tough moments in our history, and how we got out of them. Every single time, we got through it with two things: engaged citizens and principled leaders. I’ll leave you with this: America is not a country that cowers. We’re not at our end. We will get out of this. We will not give up the ship. ### | 1 | 2026-10-01T11:23:28Z | 2026-10-01T11:25:15Z |