Washington, D.C. — During his first 100 days in office, President Donald Trump has smashed constitutional and legal guardrails to build an authoritarian presidency that cements his political power and ultimately harms Americans.
A new report from the Center for American Progress shows how Trump is consolidating control to create a strong-man presidency. Specifically, the report addresses how the president is asserting his primacy over Congress, the courts, the federal bureaucracy, the media, universities, and civil society, while incorporating elements of oligarchy and systemic corruption.
“President Trump’s first 100 days in office have taken a chainsaw to democracy and brought the United States to the doorstep of authoritarianism,” said Michael Sozan, senior fellow at CAP and co-author of the report. “As a result, everyday Americans are less safe and secure and are seeing daily threats to their fundamental rights. Without more pushback against Trump’s unprecedented power grabs, the United States could ultimately resemble modern autocracies around the world, such as Hungary and Turkey.”
The specific tools that Trump is using to consolidate power and build an imperial presidency:
- Weaponizing the U.S. Department of Justice for political purposes
- Ending the independence of independent federal agencies
- Replacing expert civil servants with political loyalists
- Circumventing Congress’ power to decide how to spend federal funds via impoundment
- Weakening the independent media and news reporting
- Misusing the Insurrection Act against Americans to stifle dissent
- Neutralizing the Senate’s role of confirming executive branch nominees
- Attacking the rule of law
- Threatening elections and floating the idea of serving a third term
- Launching government attacks on civil society and perceived enemies
With guardrails and accountability weakened, the conflicts of interest inherent in an oligarchy help create a two-tiered system of privilege and access: a top tier for the wealthy and well-connected and a lower tier for everyday Americans, who fall victim to higher costs and slashed government programs on which they depend.
Read the report: “Trump’s First 100 Days: Creating an Imperial Presidency That Harms Americans” by Michael Sozan and Ben Olinsky
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For more information, or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].