Democratic Backsliding in the United States : A comparison of the Trump administrations, 2017-2025

Sammanfattning

Democratic backsliding is an increasing global phenomenon where today almost 75% of the world’s population are living in an autocracy. Despite there being a strong belief in democratic societies and their resilience in the United States of America, this up-to-now world leader in promoting sustainable democracy is today facing severe democratic erosion. US President Donald Trump has been noted for his authoritarian behavior in his first term of presidency but still managed to win the election in 2024. The existing literature on Trump focuses on his first term with very little research done on his second term so far, which has resulted in a notable gap in comparing the two terms. This thesis analyzes democratic backsliding through structured, focused comparison of both Donald Trump’s respective administrations. A specific focus is put on the administration’s executive actions in terms of three characteristics of democratic backsliding: executive aggrandizement, restriction of civil liberties and electoral manipulation. The findings show that Trump’s executive actions have significantly contributed to the democratic erosion taking place in the United States. The comparison of both terms illustrates a much more aggressive approach so far in the second term and that lessons were learnt from the first term. This study contributes to a better understanding of how democratic erosion unfolds over time even within a well-established democracy and helps researchers to understand the warning signs of democratic backsliding in existing democracies.