Erosion From Within: The Quiet Threat to Democracy

Erosion From Within: The Quiet Threat to Democracy

What Happens When We Trust Personalities Instead of Principles

In the fall of 2020, Christopher Pugh sat in his living room in Gulfport, Mississippi, eyes fixed on the election results. By the end of that week, he had made a life-altering decision.

He no longer believed in the courts. He no longer trusted the press. He doubted the election itself.

But he did believe one person. The man who told him it was all a sham.

"I trust Donald Trump, not the government," he said.

And he’s not alone.

Millions of Americans have walked away from institutions and placed their trust in individuals instead. On the right, many stand behind Trump. On the left, others do the same with their own political champions. The faces change, but the behavior stays the same.

This is no longer a fringe issue. A recent poll found that two-thirds of Republicans trust Donald Trump's 2024 campaign for accurate election information, while only half trust the official certification of votes. After the 2016 election, nearly four in ten Democrats said Trump’s win was illegitimate.

This is not about left or right. It's about what happens when trust only exists if your side wins.

That isn’t democracy. It’s a rigged game pretending to be one.

The Dark Traits We Mistake for Strength

Psychologists use the term “Dark Triad” to describe three traits: narcissism, manipulation, and a lack of empathy. These are qualities we once feared in leaders. Now, they’re often mistaken for strength.

In business, research shows top executives are more likely to display these traits than junior employees. In politics, we often confuse them with confidence or resolve.

These leaders offer certainty when everything feels uncertain. They give us simple villains, easy answers, and loud promises. Many of them lie, but they lie in ways that sound like clarity.

And the truth is, people follow them.

A global study confirmed that politicians who rank high in these traits trigger more anger and hostility in their supporters. The problem is not only that these leaders exist. It’s that they attract massive followings.

The Playbook Is Simple. And It Works.

Leaders who use this approach follow a clear strategy. They stir up fear. They position themselves as the only solution. Then they attack anyone who questions them.

This is most effective when people already feel afraid.

A recent study across 40 countries found that voters who felt aligned with authoritarian-style leaders became more hostile to others outside their political group. These leaders don’t just take advantage of division. They create it.

And once voters are locked into sides, they stop evaluating ideas and start protecting their team.

The Damage Is Bigger Than Politics

According to Gallup, public confidence in American institutions is near record lows. On average, only 28 percent of U.S. adults express meaningful trust in core institutions. That’s barely more than one out of four people.

Congress does even worse. Just seven percent of Americans say they have high confidence in it.

This is not just about frustration. It’s a warning.

When people feel like nothing works, they disengage. They stop voting. They stop listening. They stop trying. The only ones left are the loudest voices and the most extreme opinions.

And when that becomes the status quo, the system begins to fall apart from within.

Shutdown in Washington: A Case Study in Broken Trust

On October 1, 2025, a sign went up at the Washington Monument: Closed. The federal government had shut down.

The reason had nothing to do with logistics. It had everything to do with trust.

Republicans said they would address health care subsidies later in the year. Democrats refused to accept that, saying they had no reason to believe it would ever happen.

“Why would we believe Republicans care about the Affordable Care Act when they’ve spent 15 years trying to destroy it?” asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Each side assumed the other would break their promise. And so, neither moved.

The result was total deadlock.

This wasn’t just a negotiation failure. It was a trust failure. And it didn’t happen by accident.

President Trump escalated the situation by promising to "inflict pain" on his political opponents. He suggested cutting funds from certain federal agencies, especially those in blue states, and threatened mass firings of federal employees.

Trump’s budget chief, Russell Vought, pushed forward with the “Project 2025” plan to radically reduce the size of government. Public transit and clean energy programs in Democratic strongholds were frozen. Federal employees were treated like bargaining chips.

This is how the Dark Triad works in real time. Create a crisis. Blame an enemy. Claim only you can fix it.

And when the dust settles, ordinary people are the ones left to pay the price.

Thousands of workers missed paychecks. Museums and national parks closed. Key research and services were paused.

One recent survey found that nearly seven in ten Americans said even the threat of a shutdown reduced their trust in government.

It’s a cycle. Broken trust causes dysfunction. Visible dysfunction deepens the distrust. Eventually, everyone walks away believing the whole system is corrupt.

And that belief becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

This Isn’t a One-Party Problem

Some conservatives reject any election they don’t win. Some progressives believe democracy is failing unless their vision becomes law.

Both positions lead to the same place: permanent distrust.

Democracy only works if both sides accept the results, even when they lose. If every loss is seen as illegitimate, then the process no longer matters.

The shutdown fight was a perfect example. Neither side believed the other. And because of that, no one could move forward.

There Is a Better Way to Lead

There’s a name for the opposite of the Dark Triad. Psychologists call it the Light Triad. It includes qualities like honesty, humility, and a belief in the basic worth of others.

These leaders don’t seek the spotlight. They build coalitions. They focus on the long term instead of chasing headlines.

They exist. The problem is, they don’t dominate the airwaves.

They don’t shout. And that’s why they’re often ignored in a culture obsessed with volume over value.

But if we want to see more of these leaders, we have to start rewarding them.

Volume Is Not Virtue, and Power Is Not Proof

It’s easy to fall in love with a leader who claims to fight for you.

But that’s not the question that matters.

The question is, what are they building?

Toxic leaders destroy trust and replace it with blind loyalty. They don’t make institutions better. They just make them obedient.

And that’s the danger. When we confuse volume with virtue, and popularity with truth, we hand power to the loudest voice instead of the wisest one.

What You Can Do Right Now

Democracy Doesn’t Collapse Overnight

Democracy doesn’t implode all at once. It fades when we make peace with small betrayals. It weakens every time we excuse a lie, justify an abuse, or ignore a red flag because “your side” did it.

But here’s the good news.

This is still fixable.

If we start choosing character over chaos, discipline over drama, and truth over convenience, the erosion can stop.

The solution begins with us.

Stay Sharp,

Gideon Ashwood