The New York Times published a project on Friday outlining what the newspaper argued is an alarming shift toward authoritarianism by President Trump during the first ten months of his second administration.
“The clearest sign that a democracy has died is that a leader and his party make it impossible for their opponents to win an election and hold power,” the Times editorial board wrote in summarizing its analysis. “Once that stage is reached, however, the change is extremely difficult to reverse. And aspiring authoritarians use other excesses, like a cowed legislature and judiciary, to lock in their power.”
The Times laid out a dozen different ways Trump has changed the operations of the U.S. government, arguing he is moving America away from democracy and toward a more centralized system of power among its leaders. These examples included “stifling speech and dissent,” “prosecuting political enemies,” “bypassing the legislature” and “using the military for domestic control.”
“Our country is still not close to being a true autocracy, in the mold of Russia or China. But once countries begin taking steps away from democracy, the march often continues,” the outlet wrote. “We offer these 12 markers as a warning of how much Americans have already lost and how much more we still could lose.”
The Times’ editorial board has been sharply critical of Trump, who earlier this year sued the newspaper for defamation over its coverage of his first run for president, journalism the president and his attorneys have argued is defamatory.
The newspaper has stood by its reporting on the president, and its leaders have indicated they are prepared to defend their stories in court.
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