Autocratization In the USA
V-Dem lays out the facts on the 'most dramatic decline in American history' - no time for heads in sand
***Please take out a membership to support the light of truth.***
The world has never before seen as many countries autocratizing at the same time as during the last few years of the “third wave of autocratization”.—V-Dem Democracy Report 2026
Every day is a new episode in a reality show where Trump is made to appear that he’s vanquishing perceived enemies — that’s the imaginary world Trump created for himself in 2017.
Media helps turn this into reality by surrounding him with cameras so he is able to reach a global audience with his propaganda, which is dutifully parroted by said media.
What this means is it is the duty of reporters who are not shackled by corporations and who are not beholden to fascist-aligned billionaires to stay in reality.
In reality, Russian puppets like Trump are loathed by the people they govern. These puppets are there to destroy human rights and benefit the Kremlin and other autocratic nations. We can see this in the revolution occurring in the streets of Georgia and Hungary, where people are willing to risk their lives to fight against pro-Russian regimes. We see this in the daily reporting from Ukraine, where soldiers by defending their homeland are defending the free world.
So with that in mind, I ask you to read the latest V-Dem report.
The V-Dem Institute, part of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, measures democracy and in the time that I’ve been reading their reports, we have seen democratic nations trending in the wrong direction — from about half of the world a decade ago, to now 74% of the world population now live in autocracies, with only 7% of the world population now living in liberal democracies.
According to the latest study:
The global democratic decline is notable and ongoing, whichever measure we use. For the average global citizen, the level of democracy is now back to 1978. It means that the enormous expansion of freedoms and rights achieved with the “third wave of democratization” is almost entirely eradicated.
The fire that America played with in 2024, determining its democratic incumbent too old to lead, has come back to burn the world.
We have seen with our own eyes the battering of US democracy under Trump, how that battering is impacting our former allies, but V-Dem uses a systematic approach to quantify it. It begins on page 33 of the report, the section titled: In Focus: Autocratization In the USA.
Among V-Dem’s 2026 report findings:
Under Trump’s presidency, the level of democracy in the USA has fallen back to the same level as in 1965.
Yet the situation is fundamentally different than during the Civil Rights era. In 2025, the derailment of democracy is marked by executive overreach undermining the rule of law, along with far-reaching suppression and intimidation of media and dissenting voices.
The speed with which American democracy is currently dismantled is unprecedented in modern history.
Legislative Constraints – the worst affected aspect of democracy – is losing one-third of its value in 2025 and reaching its lowest point in over 100 years.
Civil Rights and Equality before the Law are also rapidly declining, falling to late 1960s levels.
Freedom of Expression is now at its lowest level since the end of WWII.
Electoral components of democracy remain stable. Election-specific indicators are re-assessed only in electoral years, and the 2025 scores are based on the quality of the 2024 elections.
Its authors also noted:
The scale and speed of autocratization under the Trump administration are unprecedented in modern times. Within one year, the USA’s LDI (Liberal Democracy Index) score has declined by 24%; its world rank dropped from 20th to 51st place out of 179 nations. The level of democracy on the LDI is dwindling to 1965 level – the year that most regard as the start of a real, modern democracy in the USA.
Yet the deficiencies of American democracy today are fundamentally different from that of the Civil Rights era. As the V-Dem data and other evidence below show, the autocratization now is marked by executive overreach, alongside attacks on the press, academia, civil liberties, and dissenting voices.
The Most Dramatic Decline in American History
In 2023, the USA scored 0.79 on the LDI – shortly before the 2024 election year when first deteriorations were registered. The scores plummeted to 0.57 in 2025. With such a sharp drop on the LDI, the level of democracy at the end of 2025 is back to the 1965 level. Symbolically, that is the year that most analysts consider the USA began its transition to a real democracy. Democracy in the USA is now at its worst in 60 years.
We are not alone in this assessment. Professor Steven Levitsky at Harvard University says the regime in the USA is now some type of authoritarianism.
Removing an autocratic regime is extremely challenging, but if it’s going to happen, sooner is better than later.
Trump wants the world to perceive him vanquishing enemies daily, but as this report reveals, his primary enemy is democracy.
****
****
Bette Dangerous is a reader-funded magazine. Thank you to all monthly, annual, and founding members.
I expose the corruption of billionaire fascists, while relying on memberships for support.
Thank you in advance for considering the following:
Share my reporting with allies
Buying my ebooks
A private link to an annual membership discount for older adults, those on fixed incomes or drawing disability, as well as activists and members of the media is available upon request at bettedangerous/gmail. 🥹
More info about Bette Dangerous - This magazine is written by Heidi Siegmund Cuda, an Emmy-award winning investigative reporter/producer, author, and veteran music and nightlife columnist. She is the cohost of RADICALIZED Truth Survives, an investigative show about disinformation and is part of the Byline Media team. Thank you for your support of independent investigative journalism.
🤍
Begin each day with a grateful heart.
🤍