Former East Germany Observer Warns: Trump’s Actions Echo Authoritarian Tactics of the Past
WASHINGTON D.C. – Having witnessed the stifling grip of Communist rule in East Germany, a veteran observer of the former Eastern Bloc is sounding the alarm, asserting that recent actions by the Trump administration bear unsettling similarities to the repressive methods she onc documented. The comparison, detailed in a recent essay, highlights a growing concern that democratic norms within the United States are being eroded, with possibly far-reaching global consequences.
For years, the United States projected itself as a champion of freedom and human rights, a stark contrast to the authoritarian regimes behind the Iron Curtain. But, according to the author, that image has been dramatically tarnished. “It wasn’t long ago that the United States stood as a powerful symbol against repression, against excesses by police and security forces, against corruption in politics, and for human rights and the rule of law. The U.S. was a beacon of hope to the outside world. But Trump has extinguished it,” she writes.
The author recalls a speech delivered by George H.W. Bush in Mainz, West germany, in 1988, where he spoke of the “flowering human spirit.” This stands in stark contrast,she notes,to President Trump’s recent remarks at the United Nations,where he reportedly told assembled dignitaries,”your countries are going to hell.”
The core of the concern lies in what the author describes as a pattern of behavior reminiscent of the Soviet bloc. she points to what she sees as the persecution of critics, attacks on the legal system, higher education, and free speech, including book bans and attempts to rewrite history to align with a specific ideology. The author also cites the use of the military to intimidate protestors as echoing authoritarian tactics.
“Since Inauguration Day, Trump seems to have spent moast of his waking hours – and quite possibly in his dreams as well – plotting ways to grab yet more power for himself and add to his family’s riches,” she writes, adding that with Republican majorities in Congress largely deferential to the President, the nation has “essentially become a one-party state.”
The author argues that safety is no longer guaranteed by law or principle,but by “skin color and allegiance to MAGA orthodoxy.” She warns that this internal shift has external repercussions, emboldening far-right movements in Europe and undermining U.S. moral authority on the world stage. Trump’s approach of “cozying up to despots and demeaning longtime allies” has, she contends, “upended the geopolitical balance and global trading system.”
Despite the grim assessment, the author identifies “glimmers of hope” in the form of grassroots resistance movements like Indivisible, and politicians like gavin Newsom and JB Pritzker who have publicly challenged the administration. She also highlights the role of late-night comedians – Jimmy Kimmel,Stephen Colbert,and Jimmy Fallon – in defending democracy through satire and a refusal to remain silent,comparing them to dissidents like Bärbel Bohley who bravely spoke truth to power in East Germany.
The author’s viewpoint, rooted in firsthand experience with authoritarianism, serves as a stark warning about the fragility of democratic institutions and the importance of vigilance in safeguarding them.
