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Trump's Presidency Drastically Undermines U.S. Democracy, V-Dem Reports

3/20/2026

27 2 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

V-Dem describes U.S. President Donald Trump as severely damaging American democracy, with the United States dropping from 20th to 51st globally.
Staffan Lindberg, director of V-Dem, compares Trump's rapid rollback to the longer patterns seen in Modi and Erdogan.
Some scholars believe the effects may not be permanent, depending on future elections.

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Story summary

V-Dem describes U.S. President Donald Trump as severely damaging American democracy, with the United States dropping from 20th to 51st globally.
Staffan Lindberg, director of V-Dem, compares Trump's rapid rollback to the longer patterns seen in Modi and Erdogan.
Some scholars believe the effects may not be permanent, depending on future elections.