US Briefings: Trump’s Rapid-Fire Dismantling of US Democracy

The second Trump Administration took office less than one month ago. But already, media and international observers seem at a loss for words to describe the scale and pace of attacks on democratic institutions.

In the first three weeks, President Trump signed more than 50 Executive Orders, rapidly expanding the powers of the executive and undermining the careful system of checks and balances that has defined US democracy since its founding. Elon Musk’s “shadow” agency - the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) - has effectively shuttered USAID, the world’s single largest humanitarian aid organization. Without any mandate from Congress, Musk’s deputies accessed sensitive government personnel data and infiltrated the Treasury Department’s payment system. Meanwhile, the incoming administration has moved forward with hardline immigration policies, including the transformation of Guantanamo Bay into a deportation camp; mounted attacks on transgender rights that have seen hospitals rushing to end medical care for transgender individuals; dismantled racial and social justice initiatives; rolled back environmental regulations, and much more. The Heritage Foundation’s Playbook “Project 2025”, which called for purging career officials who might stand in the way of Trump’s agenda, has ballooned into an effort to push out millions of federal employees and cripple federal agencies. 

Trump’s first month in office has been the most sweeping and aggressive attack on the functioning of the US federal government in American history. The destruction at home will reverberate internationally and negatively impact the security, health, and economic well-being of societies around the world. To analyze these seismic developments, the Heinrich Böll Foundation is hosting an online discussion as part of the “US Briefings” series.

With:

• Hannah Winnick, Executive Director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Washington DC
• Teresa Eder, Foreign and Security Policy Director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Washington DC

Moderation: Jan Philipp Albrecht, Co-President of the Heinrich Böll Foundation

The conversation will take place in English for an international audience.

The panel discussion will be followed by a brief Q&A.

Contact: 
Deitra Myers, Division European Union and North America, 
E myers@boell.de

» Online participation in ZOOM
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» Livestream
Alternatively, you can follow the event via livestream.