4 years ago? That was when Biden was president - are you suggesting that Biden was an autocrat consolidating power? (If so, he was remarkably bad at it)
(As an outsider, I still find it unbelievable that so many people would vote for him)
In my book, if people took liberal democracy serious, he should have been persona-non-grata in the eyes of every politician and political party.
Instead he was saved from impeachment by McConnel rehabilitated by McCarthy, and people increasing memory-holed the event, equivocated about George Floyd protests (not even remotely comparable), or were supporters of the "heroes of J6"... now we are where we are, well-cooked frogs in a pot that's about the boil over.