SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Trump reached out to Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte, who has invoked Hitler's mass extermination of Jews as a model for how he would like to dispose of drug dealers and addicts. (Photo: Screenshot)
Trump Is America's Most Dangerous Export
Donald Trump is not only undermining democracy here at home, but he’s also emboldening dangerous authoritarian movements around the world
Oct 17, 2018
Donald Trump is not only undermining democracy here at home, but he's also emboldening dangerous authoritarian movements around the world. Trump's presidency has become America's most dangerous export.
FIRST: Trump has provided cover for authoritarian leaders around the world who are actively attacking the media and suppressing the truth to entrench their power.
He congratulated Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on his electoral victory, despite Orban's efforts to undermine democracy and stifle freedom of the press.
On Twitter, Trump vowed to join with Polish president Andrzej Duda to "fight the fake news". Duda has placed media outlets under strict government control.
Trump welcomed to the White House the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who has locked up tens of thousands of his political opponents and decimated the human-rights community there.
Trump reached out to Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte, who has invoked Hitler's mass extermination of Jews as a model for how he would like to dispose of drug dealers and addicts.
He has courted Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has imprisoned critics and human-rights activists, caused thousands of civilian deaths in Yemen, and - evidence increasingly suggests - is responsible for the gruesome death of Washington Post journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi.
And, of course, Trump infamously made excuses for Vladimir Putin when asked about the murder of Russian journalists.
SECOND: Trump's anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric have lent legitimacy to racist and xenophobic political parties across Europe. His success playing on racial fears and stoking nationalist sentiment has been a model for their efforts.
Look at Italy's new deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, who campaigned on mass deportations and has evoked the language of Benito Mussolini.
And Austria's far-right Freedom Party has demanded tighter border security, expedited deportations, and financial "sanctions" on immigrants.
Close behind them, although not yet in power, are France's Marine Le Pen and Britain's Nigel Farage, who Trump has complimented on Twitter.
THIRD: Trump has undermined the international institutions committed to protecting human rights and defending democracy.
Unlike former U.S. presidents, Trump doesn't publicly mention human rights.
In a break with decades of U.S. foreign policy, Trump has attacked NATO, weakening the alliance as Putin threatens to undermine democracies in Western Europe.
He has also called the European Union a "foe," playing into nationalist movements.
As in the 1930s, economic strains are fueling the rise of demagogues who direct anger and resentment toward scapegoats such as immigrants and minorities - lying about them with impunity.
But the truth is still getting through to most people, and democracy is still alive. Yet in sharp contrast to the 1930s when the president of the United States defended our democratic ideals, Trump is now helping lead the charge against them.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Robert Reich
Robert Reich is professor emeritus of public policy at Berkeley and former US secretary of labor. His latest book is the No. 1 New York Times best-seller, "Coming Up Short."
Donald Trump is not only undermining democracy here at home, but he's also emboldening dangerous authoritarian movements around the world. Trump's presidency has become America's most dangerous export.
FIRST: Trump has provided cover for authoritarian leaders around the world who are actively attacking the media and suppressing the truth to entrench their power.
He congratulated Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on his electoral victory, despite Orban's efforts to undermine democracy and stifle freedom of the press.
On Twitter, Trump vowed to join with Polish president Andrzej Duda to "fight the fake news". Duda has placed media outlets under strict government control.
Trump welcomed to the White House the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who has locked up tens of thousands of his political opponents and decimated the human-rights community there.
Trump reached out to Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte, who has invoked Hitler's mass extermination of Jews as a model for how he would like to dispose of drug dealers and addicts.
He has courted Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has imprisoned critics and human-rights activists, caused thousands of civilian deaths in Yemen, and - evidence increasingly suggests - is responsible for the gruesome death of Washington Post journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi.
And, of course, Trump infamously made excuses for Vladimir Putin when asked about the murder of Russian journalists.
SECOND: Trump's anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric have lent legitimacy to racist and xenophobic political parties across Europe. His success playing on racial fears and stoking nationalist sentiment has been a model for their efforts.
Look at Italy's new deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, who campaigned on mass deportations and has evoked the language of Benito Mussolini.
And Austria's far-right Freedom Party has demanded tighter border security, expedited deportations, and financial "sanctions" on immigrants.
Close behind them, although not yet in power, are France's Marine Le Pen and Britain's Nigel Farage, who Trump has complimented on Twitter.
THIRD: Trump has undermined the international institutions committed to protecting human rights and defending democracy.
Unlike former U.S. presidents, Trump doesn't publicly mention human rights.
In a break with decades of U.S. foreign policy, Trump has attacked NATO, weakening the alliance as Putin threatens to undermine democracies in Western Europe.
He has also called the European Union a "foe," playing into nationalist movements.
As in the 1930s, economic strains are fueling the rise of demagogues who direct anger and resentment toward scapegoats such as immigrants and minorities - lying about them with impunity.
But the truth is still getting through to most people, and democracy is still alive. Yet in sharp contrast to the 1930s when the president of the United States defended our democratic ideals, Trump is now helping lead the charge against them.
Robert Reich
Robert Reich is professor emeritus of public policy at Berkeley and former US secretary of labor. His latest book is the No. 1 New York Times best-seller, "Coming Up Short."
Donald Trump is not only undermining democracy here at home, but he's also emboldening dangerous authoritarian movements around the world. Trump's presidency has become America's most dangerous export.
FIRST: Trump has provided cover for authoritarian leaders around the world who are actively attacking the media and suppressing the truth to entrench their power.
He congratulated Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on his electoral victory, despite Orban's efforts to undermine democracy and stifle freedom of the press.
On Twitter, Trump vowed to join with Polish president Andrzej Duda to "fight the fake news". Duda has placed media outlets under strict government control.
Trump welcomed to the White House the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who has locked up tens of thousands of his political opponents and decimated the human-rights community there.
Trump reached out to Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte, who has invoked Hitler's mass extermination of Jews as a model for how he would like to dispose of drug dealers and addicts.
He has courted Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has imprisoned critics and human-rights activists, caused thousands of civilian deaths in Yemen, and - evidence increasingly suggests - is responsible for the gruesome death of Washington Post journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi.
And, of course, Trump infamously made excuses for Vladimir Putin when asked about the murder of Russian journalists.
SECOND: Trump's anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric have lent legitimacy to racist and xenophobic political parties across Europe. His success playing on racial fears and stoking nationalist sentiment has been a model for their efforts.
Look at Italy's new deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, who campaigned on mass deportations and has evoked the language of Benito Mussolini.
And Austria's far-right Freedom Party has demanded tighter border security, expedited deportations, and financial "sanctions" on immigrants.
Close behind them, although not yet in power, are France's Marine Le Pen and Britain's Nigel Farage, who Trump has complimented on Twitter.
THIRD: Trump has undermined the international institutions committed to protecting human rights and defending democracy.
Unlike former U.S. presidents, Trump doesn't publicly mention human rights.
In a break with decades of U.S. foreign policy, Trump has attacked NATO, weakening the alliance as Putin threatens to undermine democracies in Western Europe.
He has also called the European Union a "foe," playing into nationalist movements.
As in the 1930s, economic strains are fueling the rise of demagogues who direct anger and resentment toward scapegoats such as immigrants and minorities - lying about them with impunity.
But the truth is still getting through to most people, and democracy is still alive. Yet in sharp contrast to the 1930s when the president of the United States defended our democratic ideals, Trump is now helping lead the charge against them.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.