USA Watchlist 2025

PRESS RELEASE

Trump administration puts US civic freedoms under severe threat – CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist 

10 March 2025

• The United States of America is added to the CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist due to threats to civic freedoms under Trump administration. 
• Unprecedented executive orders designed to unravel democratic institutions, rule of law, and global cooperation raise alarm. 
• In 2025, the new administration slashed federal funding for organisations supporting people most in need, dismantled USAID, and reversed progress on justice, inclusion, and diversity. 

Due to the Trump administration’s assault on democratic norms and global cooperation, CIVICUS has added the United States of America (USA) to its Watchlist of countries with faltering civic freedoms. 

A spate of arbitrary executive orders has resulted in mass firings of federal government employees coupled with the takeover of key positions in the administration including the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation by Trump loyalists. They are likely to severely impact constitutional freedoms of peaceful assembly, expression, and association. 

“This is an unparalleled attack on the rule of law in the United States, not seen since the days of McCarthyism in the twentieth century. 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. 

“The Trump administration seems hellbent on dismantling the system of checks and balances which are the pillars of a democratic society,” said Mandeep Tiwana, Interim Co-Secretary General of CIVICUS. 

United States, once a global champion of democracy and human rights, joins the first 2025 watchlist along with Democratic Republic of Congo, Italy, Pakistan, and Serbia. The arbitrary US pullbacks from aid and multilateral cooperation, including the World Health Organisation and the UN Human Rights Council, will likely impact civic freedoms and reverse hard-won human rights gains around the world. 

Continued protest crackdowns are backed by a legislative push in several states. Authorities have continued repression against pro-Palestinian protesters with arbitrary penalties and student visa cancellations. At least 12 states have introduced laws restricting protests, including criminalising the use of masks at demonstrations.

The arbitrary freezing of federal funding and foreign aid jeopardises the civil society. In January 2025, the Trump administration cut crucial federal funds, risking US organisations’ vital work with marginalised communities. A broad overhaul of US foreign aid policies has led to the dismantling of USAID and the suspension of international cooperation initiatives, including those that helped to protect persecuted activists who are now at greater risk of experiencing violence, with severe consequences for civil society organisations across the world. 

A lapsed bill enabling the Treasury Department to revoke the tax-exempt status of non-profits based on vague and arbitrary grounds of terrorism could be renewed anytime. The new administration has attacked hard-fought progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion. It has also stopped funding for civil society organisations that support sexual and reproductive freedoms due to its negative stance on abortion rights.  

The White House now determines which media outlets access presidential press briefings. Associated Press journalists are barred from briefings. Those covering politically sensitive topics are forcibly removed from press briefings, banned from White House events, and denied access to government officials. Journalists have also been intimidated. Concerns of unprecedented restrictions on public access to independent reporting continue to grow at national and state levels. 

“We urge the United States to uphold the rule of law and respect constitutional and international human rights norms,” said Tiwana. 

“Americans across the political spectrum are appalled by the undemocratic actions of the current administration.” 

The USA is currently rated as having NARROWED civic space by the CIVICUS Monitor, a classification it has held for most of the time. However, in 2020, it was downgraded to obstructed following the violent repression of mass protest movements. 

Notes to the editor:

On USA civic space rating of Narrowed:

This rating is typically given to countries where democratic freedoms, such as the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and association, are increasingly being violated (see full description of ratings). See Frequently Asked Questions about the Watchlist here. 

There are a total of 42 countries in the world with this rating (see all). 

‘Narrowed’ is the second-highest tier rating. It means that people in the country are allowed to exercise civic freedoms, including the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly, and expression, but occasionally violations of these rights take place. 

About the CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist:

The new watchlist is released by the CIVICUS Monitor, an online platform that tracks the latest developments to civic freedoms, including the freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, across 198 countries and territories. 

The ratings are categorised as either ‘closed,’ ‘repressed,’ ‘obstructed,’ ‘narrowed’ or ‘open,’ based on a methodology that combines several data sources on the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly, and expression. 

Over twenty organisations collaborate to provide an evidence base for action to improve civic space on all continents.