When Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election in November, it was clear that his victory was not an isolated event. The world was in the midst of a populist authoritarian trend that has eroded democracies across the globe for several decades. But the election of a man with visible autocratic leanings in the world’s most powerful country was unlike the democratic backsliding that preceded it elsewhere. The U.S., for all its flaws, has acted as a beacon of democracy for other countries since its founding in the 18th century.
The question then was what impact Trump’s victory would have on the anti-democratic trend sweeping the world.
Three months into his presidency, the answers are starting to emerge.