Nearly every country in the world claims to have institutions. However, in many places, because those institutions are built on weak foundations, they exist in name only. In too many parts of the globe, presidents and prime ministers, and their enablers, are able to capture state machineries easily and use them to pursue their nefarious interests, often with few mechanisms available to stop the abuses.

America is unlike any other country in the world. Political power is so broadly distributed here that it will be next to impossible for any president to have the kind of complete control over government that autocrats elsewhere enjoy. And, our institutions have withstood the test of time. In spite of all that, large numbers of Americans have expressed grave concerns that considering some of their stated intentions, President-elect Donald Trump and his closest associates could do a lot of damage to our institutions. Those fears are quite real.

The president-elect has done nothing thus far to assuage those worries. Instead, he has stoked them by nominating avowed loyalists to his cabinet and other key national agencies. By that, he is clearly telegraphing his determination to dismantle some of the guardrails that kept him in check during his first term in office. Such chipping away at the institutional architecture is precisely how illiberal democracies are formed.

The best way to prevent long-term damage to institutional structures from such illiberal tendencies is to stop the slide quickly before it gets out of hand. Worryingly, it appeared as though the required bulwark was nonexistent, due to the reluctance of Republicans to confront Mr. Trump in recent years. That is why I was tremendously heartened by what happened when his attorney general nominee, Matt Gaetz, visited Congress last week to meet with Senators. That nomination had caused such a huge outcry across the country that it threatened to inflame an already tense national atmosphere.

According to reports, at least a few Republican Senators told Mr. Gaetz that due to the multiple controversies swirling around him, it was highly unlikely that he could successfully make it through confirmation hearings. They therefore quietly advised him to bow out, which he did shortly after his visit. It clearly demonstrates that those Senators properly see themselves as institutionalists, and are not willing to abdicate their advice-and-consent responsibility.

Earlier this month, there were other reports saying that the president-elect and his close associates preferred Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott as Majority Leader when Republicans take control of the chamber in January. Senator Scott is said to be a Trump loyalist. Instead, his colleagues chose South Dakota Senator John Thune. That, to me, was another show of independence that I was highly pleased to see. I have observed Senator Thune for many years. I have disagreed with some of his views, but I have always admired the way he carries himself, particularly the measured tone of his voice.

It’s still early days, and there is likely to be a good bit of turbulence ahead in the coming weeks and months. But I take comfort in the fact that there are at least some Republicans in the Senate who appear to be unwilling to hand Mr. Trump and his team the type of blank check that they perhaps expected after the election. That has sent an important message to the president-elect, and will serve as a check on some of his worst impulses. For that, I am extremely thankful on this Thanksgiving Day. Those few Republican Senators deserve a great deal of credit for acting in such a crucial way to sustain the credibility of our institutions. Their conduct should cheer every American.