Institutional recovery from systematic undermining faces severe challenges. The fundamental problem is one of asymmetric warfare - institutions can be damaged in days or weeks, but rebuilding trust and functionality takes years or decades. The loss of career expertise and institutional knowledge through purges and resignations creates gaps that can't be quickly filled. Once norms are broken, they rarely fully restore.

The "sue me" strategy is particularly effective because it exploits the inherent slowness of legal processes against rapid executive action. By the time courts rule on the legality of actions, the damage is already done and new crises have emerged. The legal system becomes overwhelmed trying to address multiple simultaneous challenges while the executive branch moves on to new disruptions.

The cascading nature of institutional breakdown is especially worrying. Each broken norm makes it easier to break more, public trust in institutions erodes further, and democratic processes appear increasingly weak and ineffective. People become exhausted and normalize previously unthinkable actions. Meanwhile, those who speak up face swift consequences, creating a chilling effect on resistance.

Perhaps most worryingly, these changes create new precedents that future administrations inherit. Even if specific actions are eventually ruled illegal, the demonstration of institutional vulnerability fundamentally changes the political landscape. As we've seen in other countries, once democratic institutions are sufficiently weakened, authoritarian transitions often prove irreversible without complete systemic collapse and rebuilding - a process that itself carries enormous risks and no guarantee of success.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​