America Trending Towards Less Democracy: Europe's Potential Consequences
In a year marked by significant change, the White House National Security staff has shrunk by an astounding 60 percent. This reduction in personnel is just one of the many indicators of America's democratic erosion under President Donald Trump.
The behavior of the current administration bears a striking resemblance to what has occurred in several other backsliding countries, such as Hungary, India, Brazil, and Poland. Trump's actions reflect an overarching process known as executive aggrandizement, where an elected leader relentlessly amasses political power, asphyxiating democratic norms and institutions.
Policy in the U.S. is increasingly shaped by ideological convictions, with diminishing regard for factual reality. This shift has led to a harsh downgrading of the role of expertise in U.S. foreign policy.
The U.S. political system has been transformed into a hyper-presidential one, with few constraints on the president from within the executive branch or from other branches of government. Trump has wrested budgetary powers constitutionally assigned to the U.S. Congress and has attacked the independence of agencies like the Federal Reserve.
The administration has punished intelligence officials who present empirical assessments that run contrary to the political views of senior Trump officials. This trend has been accompanied by a significant reduction in the U.S. diplomatic capacity.
Trump has also demonstrated his willingness to use the U.S. military for domestic policing purposes, deploying the National Guard to Washington, DC. Moreover, he has engaged in repeated acts of legal retribution against critics and those who do not comply with his demands, including prominent media organizations, politicians, and law firms.
These actions reflect Trump's resolve to debilitate checks on his power coming from any other part of the government. His actions have not gone unnoticed, with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and other high-level American officials accusing European governments of censorship.
Trump has also put pressure on European efforts to moderate social media platforms. The U.S. withdrawal from its traditional role as a global democracy supporter under the Trump administration has been significant, with the abrupt ending of most democracy assistance, dismantling of diplomatic capacity, and disbanding of global broadcasting.
This withdrawal presents an opportunity for Europe to reembrace its longtime view that a more democratic world is a more hospitable world for Europe. The many different implications of U.S. democratic backsliding for Europe represent a daunting, even foreboding, new reality for the continent.
Key European political actors have influenced Trump and his team to support right-wing, illiberal parties or politicians in Europe. Figures like JD Vance, a US Republican politician, have publicly advocated for engagement with parties such as Germany's AfD at the 2025 Munich Security Conference, urging European leaders to dialogue with them despite controversy and rejection from mainstream European politicians.
The U.S. government, under President Trump, is supporting illiberal right-wing parties or politicians across Europe, including in France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the United Kingdom. Europe now faces a choice in the domain of democracy support, with this U.S. withdrawal presenting an opportunity for Europe to step up and take on a more prominent role in promoting democracy globally.
Read also:
- Title Transformation: Utilizing the Shifting Dynamics of British Politics, Bernie Sanders' Potential Advantage
- Strategies for Conquering Major Obstacles in Expanding a Political Group
- Ontario falls short by a small margin in delivering the goal of four hours daily care for long-term care residents.
- Kamala Harris Reveals Plans to Steer Clear from 2026 California Gubernatorial Race, Sparking Curiosity about Her Future Professional Plans
