Experts who study global democracy have
just announced that
"Trump is aiming for a dictatorship." Most of us have felt this on an intuitive level for a while, but to hear
world experts using data to reaffirm this point is stunning - and chilling.
The timing couldn't be more striking. This announcement from the world's top democracy watchdog, Varieties of Democracy Institute in Sweden, emerged around the same time as Trump
threatening to revoke news organizations' broadcast licenses if they don't celebrate his Iran War. And it's also while he's pushing the U.S. Congress to pass the so-called
'Save America Act,' which would significantly
curtail voting access.If we think things are bad now, passing the Save Act would be a disaster. We must not let Trump use this as a tool to remain in power. Sign the petition to demand that Congress reject Trump's voter restriction Act!As the Institute's founder said, "Our data on the USA goes back to 1789. What we're seeing now is the
most severe magnitude of democratic backsliding ever in the country." Not only that, its researchers analyzed data showing this is happening at
an alarmingly fast rate. Apparently, this is happening 4x faster than in Hungary, and 10x faster than in Turkey.
We can see that with how Trump and his minions, including Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr, are treating journalists.
Carr wrote on social media that broadcasters whose
coverage of the Iran War isn't favorable to Trump are promoting "fake news." He followed that up with a clear threat, writing that these organizations "
have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up. ... Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and
they will lose their licenses if they do not."
Then, Carr went one step further by telling journalists with Reuters that he could "do early renewals" - meaning that he could review broadcast licenses earlier than originally planned, and therefore revoke those licenses earlier, too. According to Carr: "All of that stuff is on the table."
Meanwhile, the
Save America Act would give Trump a huge electoral advantage by hampering voting access, especially for married women, people of color, and the working class. If passed, his proposal would require strict voter ID regulations, in particular by requiring a birth certificate or passport.
But around half of Americans do not have a passport, and millions of others could be disqualified if they had ever changed their name. Just as bad - the Act would force states to give the
Department of Homeland Security access to their voter registration databases.
In fact, it seems as though the Save Act is one of Trump's top priorities right now. He's even threatened Congress by saying he'll
refuse to sign any other bills into law, until it passes his voter restriction bill first.
It's also worth noting that, only 1 month ago,
Gallup announced
it will no longer track public opinion of U.S. presidents. For nearly 90 years, the polling group has monitored the public's approval ratings of presidents. Timing-wise, this change seems odd. It comes as Trump's ratings continue to tank - and he rails and rages against his plummeting numbers.
It's not hard to see why global experts are worried about the rise of authoritarianism in the U.S. And it's clear that Donald Trump is committed to his dictatorial path.
Congress must not let Trump gain even more power! Trump's so-called 'Save America' Act would usher in an even more dangerous era for U.S. democracy. Congress must protect voting rights and voting access in the U.S. by rejecting the 'Save' Act! Sign the petition now!