Washington, United States. Human Rights Watch said in its annual global report that President Donald Trump has attacked key pillars of the United States’ democracy, citing immigration policies and threats to voting rights. The White House rejected the criticism and accused the group of bias.
Report focus and global context
In an introduction to the report reviewing human rights practices in more than 100 countries, Human Rights Watch Executive Director Philippe Bolopion focused largely on the United States. He said the Trump administration had shifted away from U.S. support for human rights globally, including by praising prominent autocratic rulers and showing little interest in restraining them.
Bolopion wrote that Washington was helping countries such as Russia and China in undermining human rights. “In 2026 the fight for the future of human rights will play out most sharply in the U.S., with consequences for the rest of the world,” he said in a video launching the report on Wednesday.
Bolopion told reporters that he saw “a sort of very hostile environment in the U.S.” and “a very rapid decline” in the quality of democracy.
White House response
The White House said Human Rights Watch suffers from “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and had attacked Trump even before he took office.
“President Trump has done more for human rights than this Soros-funded, left-wing group ever could by ending eight wars, saving countless lives, protecting religious freedom, ending Biden’s weaponization of government, and more,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said.
Billionaire financier and major Democratic donor George Soros founded Open Society Foundations, which has previously given grants to Human Rights Watch.
Immigration and rhetoric allegations
Bolopion said in the report that the Trump administration had leaned on racist tropes and “embraced policies and rhetoric that align with white nationalist ideology.”
He criticized what he described as degrading treatment of immigrants and asylum seekers, the killing of two people in Minneapolis, and the deportation of hundreds of migrants to a mega-prison in El Salvador known for its harsh conditions, as elements of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
What do you think are the most significant implications of the report’s claims for U.S. democracy?