The United States has been added to the CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist for the second consecutive time in 2025, with the global civil society organization documenting an unprecedented assault on civic freedoms during President Donald Trump’s second term.
The country joins five other nations—El Salvador, Indonesia, Kenya, Serbia, and Turkey—on the July 2025 watchlist, which highlights countries experiencing a “serious decline in respect for civic space.” The US maintains a “Narrowed” civic space rating, indicating that while individuals can exercise basic rights, violations are increasingly common.
The CIVICUS Monitor report documents clear signs of democratic backsliding during Trump’s first six months in office, characterized by consolidated executive power, loyalist appointments across institutions, suppressed independent media, criminalized dissent, and targeted marginalized groups.
The assault on democratic norms has been swift and systematic. In the first 100 days in office, Trump signed more executive orders than any president in American history. Many of these orders targeted the rights of immigrants, LGBTQ people, and other vulnerable populations without regard for constitutional protections.
An alarming development has been the surge in political violence against elected officials. The report highlights a tragic incident on June 14, 2025, when an armed assailant in Minnesota shot and killed Democratic House Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, both outspoken supporters of social justice and reproductive rights. The same gunman also shot State Senator John Hoffman and his wife in a separate but connected attack.
According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, politically motivated attacks against officials have nearly tripled over the past five years compared to the previous 25 years combined. Federal authorities revealed that the Minnesota shooter, Vance Boelter, had compiled a “hit list” of 45 elected officials, all Democrats, and possessed writings indicating months of planning.
The Trump administration’s response to peaceful demonstrations has escalated dramatically, particularly regarding immigration enforcement. When protests were held in Los Angeles in early June 2025 following Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, Trump deployed 700 Marines and 2,000 National Guard personnel to the city over the objections of state and local leaders.
This 40-day military deployment was an alarming escalation of federal overreach against migrant communities and peaceful protesters. Charges against some protesters have been dropped as facts about the situation have come to light.
Journalists covering protests have faced unprecedented targeting and violence. Australian correspondent Lauren Tomasi was shot with a rubber bullet by Los Angeles police while reporting on anti-ICE protests, sustaining a leg injury during a live broadcast.
Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara was arrested while livestreaming coverage of “No Kings” protests in Georgia and subsequently transferred to ICE custody despite holding legal residence status. Guevara, who had been reporting on immigration issues for over 20 years, remained detained at the time of the CIVICUS report’s publication.
The broader assault on press freedom has been systematic. Congress voted to cut nearly $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, threatening PBS, NPR, and local stations—the first successful presidential request to cancel pre-approved funding in nearly three decades. The move signals serious concerns about media pluralism and independent journalism.
The administration has pursued multiple fronts to restrict civil society operations. Since April 2025, Florida, Nebraska, and Arkansas have passed laws targeting nonprofits under the guise of preventing foreign influence, particularly from China. Nebraska’s Foreign Agent and Terrorist Agent Registration Act, effective October 2025, imposes sweeping registration requirements for agents of designated foreign adversaries.
Additionally, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” signed on July 4, 2025, contains provisions projected to reduce nonprofit funding by an estimated $81 billion over the next decade.
