Donald Trump’s authoritarian drift in his second term places the country on a par with Hungary or Turkey, according to a ranking by Sweden’s V-Dem Institute
Democratic backsliding is advancing in the developed world. The annual report from Sweden’s V-Dem Institute leaves no room for doubt: almost a quarter of the world experienced democratic backsliding, or a shift towards autocratization, in 2025, and six of the 10 newly regressive countries identified in the research are located in Europe and North America, including G-7 powers such as Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
But the most unsettling conclusion reached by the Swedish institute is that the United States — once a proud beacon of the more or less free world — is no longer a liberal democracy and is now on a par with countries like Hungary or Turkey, thanks to President Donald Trump. Autocracy is also spreading throughout Europe, but its reach extends far beyond the Old Continent: 41% of the world’s population (3.4 billion people) now live in countries where democracy is eroding.
The institute, which belongs to the University of Gothenburg and uses 48 metrics in its evaluation, is one of the most reliable sources when it comes to rating the state of governments around the world, and the conclusion of its 2026 study confirms the worst fears about the authoritarian drift of the U.S. under Trump’s leadership.
But there’s already such a long list of laws and rules he just ignores and seemingly gets away with. It’s madness.
They ALL get away with breaking a long list of laws and rules, that’s what makes the election of Trump possible!
Back in the 1970s, the FBI would bust reps for accepting cash bribes (Abscam). So, the reps made bribery legal with the help of the supreme court. Now Super PACs are the way. Highest bidder wins.
Let’s also not forget all the broken campaign finance election laws that preceded his win. No accountability followed because the winner keeps the spoils
And let’s not forget that THE LOSER of the election still gets a BILLION DOLLARS in their coffers (that we know of).
Imagine what the spoils are for the winner; we’ll never know the extent of it.