The United States has been added to the Civicus Monitor Watchlist, alleging drop in political independence under Trump presidency. Civicus, a worldwide civil rights guardian that tracks political freedoms across 198 countries, released its first waitlist of 2025 on Monday, citing’ major deterioration’ of legal liberties in the US.
The US addition stems from what Civicus describes as rigorous challenges to democratic rules and global teamwork under the Trump administration, reported the Guardian. The company cited certain actions, including common federal individual dismissals, proper appointments of Trump supporters, withdrawal from global bodies, aid freezing, and attempts to destroy USAID.
The company expressed particular concern about limitations on pro-Palestinian presentations and extraordinary power over media exposure to political briefings.
Alongside the US, the latest list includes the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Italy, Pakistan, and Serbia. Previously, it listed nations such as Zimbabwe, Argentina, El Salvador and the United Arab Emirates. According to Mandeep Tiwana, co-secretary general of Civicus, the watchlist evaluates nations where civic space conditions are deteriorating, particularly regarding freedoms of peaceful assembly, association and expression. ” Restrictive executive orders, unjustifiable institutional cutbacks, and intimidation tactics through threatening pronouncements by senior officials in the administration are creating an atmosphere to chill democratic dissent, a cherished American ideal”, Tiwana said in a statment justifying the decision.
Civicus characterised the behaviour of Trump after assuming presidency as an “unparalleled attack on the rule of law” unseen” since the days of McCarthyism in the twentieth century”. The organisation further stated that such presidential actions undermine the fundamental democratic principle of checks and balances.
Apart from the recent addition to watchlist, the US currently holds a “narrowed” rating on the Civicus Monitor’s five-tier classification system ( open, narrowed, obstructed, repressed and closed ). Under Trump’s previous term, the rating had declined to “obstructed” following responses to Black Lives Matter protests and restrictive environmental protest legislation. Though it improved under Biden’s leadership, being back to “narrowed”, Civicus now suggests the country may return to “obstructed” status.
Tiwana claimed that while the US traditionally championed democracy and fundamental freedoms in its foreign policy, recent administrative actions risk emboldening authoritarian regimes globally.
