Will the United States continue to hold free and fair elections in 2026 and beyond?

From a strategic perspective, this might be the single biggest question we face right now. Do Trump’s opponents just need to resist him for two years and then kick his governing majority out of office, like they did in 2018? Or do they need to approach this as a crisis, with the institutions of electoral democracy themselves at risk?

This question comes up every time I speak with a reporter. How we interpret and understand contemporary events hinges on whether we think these are still normal times.

And the trouble is that this isn’t quite a yes-or-no question. It’s a matter of degrees.