When the World's Oldest Democracy Goes Illiberal

The Trump administration has released its new National Security Strategy—and analysts say it signals a decisive break from America's role as the leader of the free world. Instead, the document advances an openly illiberal, strongman-centered vision of power. One former U.S. official goes further, arguing the strategy doesn't merely abandon democracy promotion—it puts Washington in the business of promoting autocracy. Democracy and human rights are pushed aside. Allies are treated more harshly than autocrats. The concern is that this shift will accelerate democratic erosion at home while giving authoritarian leaders abroad a freer hand. So how deep is the crisis in American democracy? Is Trump's America now exporting autocracy? And what responsibility do other democracies have to push back—both within their own borders and toward the United States? In this episode of Rethinking Democracy, we unpack America's democratic decline—and what the rest of the democratic world should do about it. Today's guest is Dr. Amanda Sloat, Professor of Practice at IE University in Madrid and a former senior US government official. Recorded December 10, 2025