'Trump is aiming for dictatorship'. That's the verdict of the most
5 hours ago
- #US-politics
- #democracy
- #autocratisation
- The US is no longer classified as a democracy by the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute, experiencing the most severe democratic backsliding in its history.
- The US has lost its status as a liberal democracy for the first time in over 50 years, with rapid 'autocratisation' under Trump's presidency.
- Democratic institutions in the US are being dismantled at an unprecedented speed, with power increasingly concentrated in the presidency.
- Congress has been marginalized, undermining checks and balances, while civil rights and freedom of expression have declined to levels not seen since the 1940s.
- Trump's administration has removed internal guardrails against abuse of power, firing inspector generals and replacing them with loyalists, mirroring actions by autocrats like Orbán and Erdoğan.
- Globally, democracy is at its lowest level since the mid-1970s, with 41% of the world's population living in countries where democracy is deteriorating.
- The UK is identified as a 'new autocratiser', with declines in freedom of expression and media, alongside increasing government control over electoral processes.
- Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Estonia, and Ireland top the global democracy index, while only 18 countries worldwide are democratising, a historic low.
- Despite the decline, free and open elections in the US remain stable for now, but threats to election workers and potential denial of future election results pose risks.
- Trump's authoritarian turn is increasingly unpopular, with approval ratings below 40%, and some pushback from liberal states and within the MAGA movement.