Speed of Trump's destruction of US democracy 'comparable to some coups': scathing report

In a new report, the Varieties of Democracy Institute said that democracy in the United States has slipped to its lowest levels since 1965, with the renowned research center attributing its findings largely to President Donald Trump.

“President Trump’s second term can be summarized as a rapid and aggressive concentration of powers in the presidency. The speed with which American democracy is currently dismantled is unprecedented in modern history,” the report reads.

“Legislative Constraints – the worst affected aspect of democracy – is losing one-third of its value in 2025 and reaching its lowest point in over 100 years. Civil Rights & Equality before the Law, and Freedom of Expression & Media are now at their lowest levels in 60 years. Electoral components of democracy, however, remain stable – for now.”

Based in Sweden, the research center compiles an annual Democracy Report to measure democracies across the globe, and rank them using its “liberal democracy index.” And, for the first time in more than 50 years, the United States has lost its status as a “liberal democracy,” according to the institute, which found that the United States stood out as a "conspicuous example.”

“The extensive damage already done to American democracy under the second Trump presidency – in just one year – stands out on the world map,” the report reads. “Typically, autocratizing countries of the ‘third wave’ have taken about a decade to make such a deep dive, and the speed of decline is comparable to some coups d´états.”