Donald Trump’s targeting of civil liberties lands the U.S. on a human rights watchlist

The United States, the country that used to slap sanctions on others for suppressing dissent, is now being called out for doing the exact same thing.

Earlier this week, CIVICUS, an international watchdog group dedicated to monitoring civic freedoms, added the U.S. to its list of countries with “narrowed” civic space. The same list includes places like Pakistan, Chile, and Slovakia. Turns out, the very freedoms America loves to flaunt are now being systematically dismantled by its own leader.

CIVICUS specifically cited Donald Trump’s blatant attempts to reshape the federal government into his own personal kingdom. His efforts to isolate the U.S. from global participation, coupled with his open disdain for constitutional norms, have set the stage for a full-on assault on democracy. 

If Trump’s actions over the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that he doesn’t just want to lead. He wants to rule. Last month, he signed an executive order that essentially put the President in charge of interpreting the law. Forget the judiciary and Congress. Forget the Constitution. In case there was any lingering doubt about his intentions, Trump crowned the move with a grotesque reference to himself as “King.” Sure, 52% of Americans are reportedly turning against him, but that means nearly half the country is still fine with this.

The king is also purging anyone who dares to question his divine authority. CIVICUS pointed to Trump’s mass firing of federal employees and his relentless effort to replace them with sycophants. Government institutions that once worked for the people are now working exclusively for his agenda. Take the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, for example. Once a crucial watchdog against fraud and abuse, it’s now little more than a hollow shell. Then there’s the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which has been stripped of its ability to provide humanitarian aid.

If gutting agencies wasn’t enough, Trump has turned his authoritarian gaze toward student protests — particularly pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident with the gall to voice an opinion Trump didn’t like, was dragged off to a Louisiana detention center. Trump has labeled him an “agitator” and is pushing for his deportation, even though there’s no actual evidence linking him to Hamas or any other extremist group. And if we’re to take Trump at his word, this is just the “first arrest of many to come.”

Let that sink in for a moment. Arresting people for their opinions? That’s not America. Earlier this year, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the administration would now decide which media outlets get to participate in the presidential press pool. This unprecedented move is nothing short of an attempt to create a state-approved propaganda machine. If there’s one silver lining here, perhaps it’s that American exceptionalism has finally been put to rest — because honestly, how exceptional can you really claim to be when you’re sharing a watchlist with regimes famous for imprisoning journalists and activists?