How Executive Orders Are Threatening U.S. Democracy

I haven’t posted for an age and I didn’t have much to say, or nothing that I could find the time or inclination to write about. Odd really, as we went through Covid, Trump v1, Ukraine kicked off, I had an accident or two – so much happened.

I removed myself from most of social media, left a company I’d worked at for a long time (not my idea – another story that) and started a new job. I’m older, a lot older and feel a hell of a lot older too.

America. It’s on my mind a lot. I’m watching the erosion of democracy from afar and the emergence of a dictatorship or autocracy at the very least. The erosion of societal democratic norms and global economic norms continues at a pace and it’s not even the end of Trumps first year of his second term yet. The Republican Party seem happy to play along as he’s their guy and the Democrats are powerless to do anything it seems. The American people meanwhile seem to play along. Sure there are some protests such as the no kings protests, but nothing I’d call substantial.

When Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, many hoped the chaos of his first term might be tempered by experience or constrained by institutions. Instead, the opposite has unfolded.

In just eight months, Trump’s administration has taken a sharp turn away from democratic, social, and international norms, setting the U.S. on a course alarmingly similar to countries that have embraced authoritarianism in recent decades. What we are witnessing is not just political division, but a systematic dismantling of democratic guardrails, the weakening of civic institutions, and the abandonment of America’s global role as a promoter of freedom and rule of law.

Here are some of the most concerning developments so far.

1. Governing by Executive Decree

Trump has largely sidelined Congress, issuing a torrent of executive orders to achieve policy objectives without legislation. From immigration to education to surveillance, major shifts have come not through debate and compromise, but unilateral action.

One notable example is Executive Order 14248, signed in February 2025, which:

Weakened federal oversight of elections by restructuring the Federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC).
Ended automatic Justice Department review of redistricting in states with histories of voter suppression (Reuters, Feb 2025).
Created a new DHS-led task force empowered to investigate “election integrity threats” with minimal judicial oversight (ACLU statement, Feb 2025).

The balance of powers envisioned by the U.S. Constitution is rapidly eroding—replaced by a centralization of authority in the presidency.

2. Open Defiance of the Courts

Perhaps more troubling than the executive orders themselves is the increasing defiance of judicial rulings. In March 2025, multiple federal courts issued injunctions halting ICE raids in sanctuary cities like Los Angeles and New York. Despite this, operations continued with DHS claiming the president’s “national emergency powers” overrule court directives (Washington Post, Mar 2025).

This trend mirrors authoritarian regimes where courts are either neutered or ignored. The message is clear: laws only apply when they align with the president’s agenda.

3. Weaponization of Federal Agencies

Trump has repeatedly used federal agencies for political gain:

The IRS launched audits against over 70 nonprofits critical of Trump policies, including the Brennan Center for Justice and the Union of Concerned Scientists (Politico, Apr 2025).
Federal agents were deployed in “Operation Urban Order” to cities like D.C., Chicago, and Seattle without local approval (Time, Apr 2025).
Whistleblowers within DOJ and the EPA allege internal pressure to investigate journalists or researchers perceived as unfriendly to the administration (ProPublica, May 2025).

4. Undermining Civil Society and Dissent

Trump’s messaging and actions consistently erode the social infrastructure of democracy:

In May, the administration threatened to revoke Title IV funding from universities hosting “anti-American” speakers—a term so vaguely defined it could apply to nearly any political discourse (Chronicle of Higher Education, May 2025).
The DOJ created a “Campus Integrity Task Force” that has begun monitoring faculty social media posts for “subversive content” (NPR, June 2025).
The “No Kings” protest movement, which peaked at 5 million marchers in June, reported dozens of arbitrary detentions and surveillance operations by federal agents (Human Rights Watch, Jul 2025).

5. Politicizing Redistricting and Voting

Republican-led legislatures, bolstered by a passive DOJ, are pushing mid-cycle redistricting:

Texas enacted a redistricting bill in May 2025 that eliminated four majority-minority districts, despite overwhelming public opposition (Texas Tribune, May 2025).
Georgia followed with its own version, gerrymandering districts based on prison population distribution to dilute urban votes (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jun 2025).

Despite multiple lawsuits, the DOJ has filed no formal objections—breaking with decades of precedent established by the Civil Rights Division since the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

6. Abandoning Global Leadership

On foreign policy, Trump has retreated into isolationism while cozying up to authoritarian states:

In April, the U.S. suspended NATO exercises, citing “cost inefficiencies” and “globalist overreach” (Politico, Apr 2025).
In May, the administration exited the Global Digital Sovereignty Framework, effectively ceding regulatory leadership on AI and privacy to the EU and China (WIRED, May 2025).
Trump praised Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán at the July G7 Summit, calling them “strong leaders who know how to keep order” (BBC, Jul 2025).

7. Hinting at a Third Term

Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of extending his presidency beyond the 22nd Amendment:

In March 2025, he told Newsmax he was “not joking” about a third term and said, “there are ways it can be done legally if people want it” (Reuters, Mar 2025).
Though he later downplayed this, supporters have launched a “Trump 2028” campaign PAC, and Rep. Andy Ogles introduced a proposed constitutional amendment to repeal term limits (Congressional Record, Apr 2025).

The flirtation with rule-breaking, even without legal follow-through, normalizes authoritarian ambition.

Where This Road Leads

The warning signs are clear:

A president who rules by fiat.
Institutions cowed or captured.
A legal system increasingly optional.
Media under siege.
Opposition viewed as a threat to the state.

These are not partisan critiques—they are characteristics of illiberal regimes worldwide, from Turkey to Hungary to Venezuela.

History has taught us that democratic decline rarely happens in a single moment. It happens in waves of normalization, each justified by fear, partisanship, or convenience—until it’s too late.

What Comes Next?

Resistance is real. Millions have taken to the streets. State governors and civil groups are fighting back. But the clock is ticking, and the 2026 midterms may be the last meaningful chance to halt or reverse this drift toward authoritarianism.

The world is watching. The future of American democracy depends on whether enough people still believe in its foundational ideals—and are willing to defend them.