New administrations often reverse prior executive actions, but in an authoritarian drift context, these reversals are strategically targeted to disable democratic norms, professional governance, and institutional accountability. This prediction anticipates a sweeping, ideologically driven rollback of executive orders related to climate action, equity, scientific integrity, ethics, public transparency, judicial independence, and pandemic preparedness — all reframed as "woke," "anti-growth," or "deep state" overreach.
Such rollbacks are not merely policy disagreements — they are part of a norm-dismantling campaign, stripping away decades of nonpartisan administrative guardrails. Historical precedents include Orbán's dismantling of institutional norms in Hungary, Putin’s nullification of transparency and anti-corruption measures, and Marcos' erasure of constitutional protections in the Philippines.
This move builds legal and narrative groundwork for future autocratic behavior by delegitimizing the prior government’s work, neutralizing watchdogs, and rewriting expectations of governance.
What to Watch For
- Executive orders rescinding entire policy frameworks from the prior administration
- Public denouncements of prior orders as “unconstitutional,” “Marxist,” or “un-American”
- Elimination or repurposing of oversight offices
- Weakening of whistleblower protections or public records transparency rules
- Revoked rules guiding independent investigations or DOJ autonomy
- Legal memos from OLC justifying removal of internal restraints on executive power