Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D) says she sees an authoritarian trend in President Donald Trump, and is calling on Americans to “nip it in the bud if we want democracy to continue here.”
During an appearance on ABC’s “The View” on Thursday, Abrams was asked about her claim that the U.S. is inching toward an authoritarian regime.
“I said that we’re on the path toward populist authoritarianism,” Abrams said.
She continued to cite actions taken by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to compare to Trump’s actions:
“Erdogan was democratically elected president who over time diminished the utility of the courts by packing it with people who supported him. He eliminated the voices of those were supposed to be the independent guardrails on democracy. And he used that power to call for militarization of the public institutions.”
“We are seeing evidence of that in the United States. Now I’m not comparing apples to oranges. But I am saying that they are all fruit of the same poisonous tree, and we need to take steps now to ensure that our presidency is not a gateway to the type of authoritarian regimes we’ve seen in Turkey,” she added.
Finally, she said, “We have to acknowledge the authoritarian nature of Donald Trump, and we’ve got to nip it in the bud if we want democracy to continue here, and if we want to continue to be the moral leader abroad.”
Watch the video below:
.@staceyabrams: “We have to acknowledge the authoritarian nature of Donald Trump and we’ve got to nip it in the bud if we want democracy to continue here, and if we want to continue to be the moral leader abroad.” https://t.co/f8u2wbJuik pic.twitter.com/mAwnJRMlKL
— The View (@TheView) June 11, 2020
Abrams’ comments come as Trump has faced criticism of his decision to fire several inspectors general, and his threat to deploy the U.S. military to quell violent demonstrations.
Trump has also been accused of politicizing the Justice Department to protect his political allies and attack his foes.
And he has repeatedly touted his success at filling vacant judicial spots.
Opponents of the president argue he is degrading institutional norms and that the country is sliding into an authoritarian state. However, supporters of Trump argue he is restoring the country to its constitutional foundation.