Global freedom report shows the United States is ‘in decline’ because of Trump

Trump

President Donald Trump’s effort to undermine American democracy in favor of authoritarianism is succeeding according to a new global report by Freedom House, an independent watchdog organization that measures democracy around the world.

Political and civil rights have been declining around the world since 2005, but Trump’s tenure in the White House has significantly set the United States back even further than in previous years as he chooses dictators over our own allies.

In the report, Freedom House even includes an image of Trump roasting a marshmallow over a fire set on freedom by other authoritarian leaders, chief among them being Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un along with the leaders of China, Venezuela, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.

According to the report:

Challenges to American democracy are testing the stability of its constitutional system and threatening to undermine political rights and civil liberties worldwide. As part of this year’s report, Freedom House offers a special assessment of the state of democracy in the United States midway through the term of President Donald Trump. While democracy in America remains robust by global standards, it has weakened significantly over the past eight years, and the current president’s ongoing attacks on the rule of law, fact-based journalism, and other principles and norms of democracy threaten further decline.

Trump’s vicious attacks on the press are unprecedented in this country. He has even set the stage for press censorship with new rules for the White House press corps.

His attacks on the rule of law are also unprecedented as he continues to rail against Special Counsel Robert Mueller and attacks the FBI and Justice Department for investigating him and his associates.

Trump has also unwittingly or wittingly allowed himself to be duped by Russia and North Korea into doing their bidding, which has increased Russia’s influence and emboldened the North Koreans, all while he throws American intelligence agencies under the bus for outlining threats to our nation that he insists do not exist.

Freedom House knows democracy is in serious decline in the United States because they have observed it before in other once strong democracies.

Having observed similar patterns in other nations where democracy was ultimately overtaken by authoritarianism, Freedom House warns that the resilience of US democratic institutions in the face of such an assault cannot be taken for granted.

Freedom House has tracked a slow overall decline in political rights and civil liberties in the United States for the past eight years, punctuated by an unusual three-point drop for developments in 2017. Prominent concerns have included Russian interference in US elections, domestic attempts to manipulate the electoral system, executive and legislative dysfunction, conflicts of interest and lack of transparency, and pressure on judicial independence and the rule of law.

Overall, the United States scored an 86 out of 100, but our nation fell below other democracies such as France, Germany and the United Kingdom, who now outrank us. We are now on the same level as Belize, Croatia, Greece, Latvia, and Mongolia.

Seriously. Greece’s political system was recently upended by a debt crisis that has nearly devastated the country. And our democracy is ranked alongside Greece. That’s where we’re at because of Trump’s sabotage of an economy that had been recovering, only to be hurt by his multiple trade wars and tax cuts for the rich in addition to his assault on our democratic institutions.

And this is just two years into a four-year term. Just imagine how far down this list our country could fall by 2021.

Forget about the border. This is the true national emergency that must be addressed. Our nation is no longer the beacon of democracy is once was, and Trump is accelerating the decline. Our rights are being eroded away and the Constitution is at risk of being overthrown. This report should frighten every American and concern every lawmaker in Washington. If ever there was a reason to act to oust Trump from office, this is it. Democracy and our freedom literally depend on it.

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