Critics Say Donald Trump's Authoritarian Regime Is Imminent

Nations around the world have expressed concerns about the recent protests across the United States, with some saying that the protests could pave the way for Donald Trump’s authoritarian regime.

Protests in the U.S. have been on the headlines in recent weeks. With the rising death toll from police violence and Trump’s resort to military force, government leaders fear that U.S. citizens may not be aware what it means for the military to be dispersed to take charge of domestic security.

Esther Careaga, co-director of the Institute Espacio Memoria, described the events in the U.S. as “very dangerous,” saying they are similar to the dictatorships they had to endure in South America. “Trump is shielding himself behind religious symbols while trying to seduce people to vote for him in the name of freedom, when it is precisely their freedom that leaders like him plan to abolish,” she said.

In a statement, the Nelson Mandela Foundation also condemned the violence towards black Americans in the U.S., arguing that systematic violence towards them could justify a violent response. “When communities are confronted by both resilient structural violence and attacks on their bodies, violent responses will occur,” said the foundation.

Meanwhile, a journalist based in Beijing accused Donald Trump of tearing America apart. The journalist, who refused to be named, said the U.S. president should tell between violence and the fight for justice. He also warned Trump against resorting to military force to subjugate protesters. “He doesn’t need to send the troops. This will hurt the U.S.’s international image,” he said.

Cristobal Rovira Katwasser, a political scientist, said the COVID-19 pandemic could spell bad omen for the U.S. Katwasser accused Trump of using the pandemic to position himself as “a God-given savior coming to avert an imminent catastrophe.” He also fears that Trump might push on with his radical agenda once he gets re-elected as President in the upcoming elections.

“If that prediction is right, then COVID-19 will come to be seen as not just the bringer of death and recession in the U.S., but also as the forerunner that paved the way for the destruction of U.S. democracy,” he said.