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Trump was defending the Russian President after Fox's Bill O'Reilly called Putin a "killer." His response, "You think our country is so innocent," reveals Trump's dismissive attitude toward the most fundamental democratic norms that America has aspired to embody. Clearly, the United States has made many grave mistakes throughout history, but the country's guiding principles have remained unchanged: the fierce defense of individual liberties and an unshakeable commitment to democratic ideals. In Russia, by contrast, Putin has decimated the opposition, imprisoned critics and taken control of all branches of government. The free press is a faint shadow of its former self, and Putin's critics, including journalists, continue to turn up dead under suspicious circumstances. One of Putin's most vocal critics, Vladimir Kara-Murza, remains in a Moscow hospital in "grave condition" after suffering a "full organ failure" that, as his lawyer told CNN, doctors agree is the result of a "toxic substance."

Despite Trump's comments and recent executive actions, Trump should expect push-back from a country committed to liberal democratic principles. This division between the President and the American people makes the United States the latest battleground in a worldwide clash of ideologies.

When the wave of populist authoritarianism started, few would have expected the United States, the principal beacon of modern democracy for over 200 years, to fall under the spell of nativist politics. But fall it did.

The many Americans who remain skeptical of Trump and now find themselves protesting on a weekly basis can take comfort in knowing they are not alone.

On Sunday, while the American public was rapt in the Super Bowl, an astonishing sight came into focus in Romania. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest a government push to decriminalize corruption. The remarkable part was that protesters had already won.

Romanians knew they had to fight for democracy because of their recent communist past and the onslaught in neighboring countries against liberal democracy, which requires separation of powers, a free judiciary, free and fair elections and, yes, freedom to protest.

Sadly, now, in the aftermath of the global financial crisis and the surge of refugee arrivals, demagogic politicians have leveraged popular discontent, lashing out against foreigners, vowing to put their country's "true" residents first, and gradually dismantling the foundations of liberal democracy.

It's true that protests have not achieved much against other authoritarian regimes. In Venezuela, the Chavista regime came to power in 1999, and despite every effort from a determined opposition, it remains in power. In Turkey, mass demonstrations, and even what seemed like electoral victories, have failed to stop Recep Tayyip Erdogan's march to de facto dictator. In Russia, Putin is all but unchallenged, with a quiescent legislature and near-complete control of the news Russians consume.

America has deeper democratic roots than any of the countries whose liberal democracies has been toppled. The national religion is freedom from tyranny.

History is being written by two opposing forces -- those fighting for and those fighting against liberal democracy. President Trump's likening of America to Putin's Russia puts him on the illiberal side. But the American people have spent hundreds of years building a strong democratic system, and they are prepared to fight to defend it.

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Trump vs. America: The fight for democracy - CNN