As Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, his swift embrace of authoritarian tactics has shaken the foundations of American democracy — and fueled a growing sentiment that the United States is no longer the land of the free.
Across the country, citizens report feeling less free than they have in decades. But this sense of lost liberty isn’t confined to American borders.
In his first months back in power, Trump has already moved to eliminate hundreds of thousands of jobs from the federal workforce, target civil servants he deems disloyal, and overhaul independent agencies. He’s floated plans to prosecute political opponents, crack down on journalists and override existing constitutional protections. His threats to dismantle the First Amendment and seize control of the Department of Justice and federal law enforcement agencies have prompted comparisons to dictatorial regimes.
“The erosion of rights is no longer subtle,” said Dr. Cheryl Wallace, a constitutional law professor who lives in Northwest D.C. “It’s deliberate, and it’s dangerous.”
The effects of this political climate are measurable.
A new Gallup survey found that only 72% of Americans were satisfied with their personal freedom in 2024 — a sharp drop from the 83% average between 2007 and 2021. American women, in particular, feel the brunt of the decline in freedom. Just 66% of women say they are satisfied with their freedom, compared to 77% of men, marking the largest gender gap Gallup has ever recorded. The drop in women’s satisfaction is closely tied to the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade, a ruling that has since allowed state-level abortion bans to proliferate.
Globally, the trends are equally disturbing. Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2025 report reveals that 2024 marked the 19th consecutive year of declining global freedom. Sixty countries experienced a deterioration in political rights and civil liberties, and only 34 showed any improvement. In dozens of countries — from Russia to Tunisia to Venezuela — governments have cracked down on dissent, manipulated elections, and criminalized opposition.
Freedom House warned that the world is facing a “crisis of democracy,” with many elected leaders now actively working to dismantle the very institutions that brought them to power.
Trump’s return to the presidency is identified as a significant inflection point.
The Freedom House report warns that democratically elected leaders, including Trump, are increasingly using their positions to erode institutional checks, target opponents, and suppress independent media. The report cautions that Trump’s actions will have “global reverberations,” as autocrats abroad point to the U.S. example to justify their own authoritarian behavior.
“They say they’re draining the swamp, but all I see are good people losing jobs just for doing their work with integrity,” Latrell Malone, a 29-year-old IT Specialist from Northeast D.C., told the Informer.
The Fraser Institute’s Human Freedom Index 2024 offers further evidence of worldwide decline. Between 2019 and 2022, 87.4% of the world’s population experienced a reduction in freedom. While there was a modest uptick in 2022, levels remain far below pre-pandemic norms. The United States now ranks 17th globally in overall freedom — tied with the United Kingdom and trailing behind countries such as Switzerland, Finland, and Estonia.
The Index highlights the real-world consequences of declining freedom. Countries in the top 25% of the freedom index tend to enjoy higher incomes, cleaner environments, better health outcomes, lower levels of poverty, and greater life satisfaction. Those in the bottom quartile—now home to 43% of the global population—face greater corruption, violence, censorship, and repression.
Beyond state actors, threats to freedom are increasingly coming from non-state sources. Armed militias, gangs, and terrorist networks are destabilizing entire regions, from Sudan and Myanmar to Haiti and Mexico. These groups, often enabled or tolerated by authoritarian regimes, have undermined the rule of law, compromised elections, and displaced millions.
However, while democratic institutions are under assault, some countries have resisted or even reversed authoritarian trends. Senegal, Botswana, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka all made democratic gains in 2024, buoyed by mass protests, competitive elections, or the collapse of autocratic regimes. Still, these nations are exceptions in a world trending backward.
Freedom House warns that only “sustained and coordinated action” can halt the erosion of global freedom. The report calls on democratic governments, civil society, and ordinary citizens to defend democracy at home, support human rights abroad, and build durable institutions capable of withstanding political pressure.
Now, under Trump’s leadership, many are questioning whether the United States can still claim to be the land of the free — and how much further freedom might fall before the world pushes back.
“We fought hard for a voice in this city and country, and now it feels like we’re being silenced all over again,” said Southeast D.C., community organizer Yvette Briggs, 42. “This doesn’t feel like freedom.”
