US civic health rating downgraded after year of ‘restrictive‘ Trump actions

A coalition of global civil society organizations has downgraded the United States’ civic health rating from “narrowed” to “obstructed.”

In a report released on Tuesday, Civicus, a non-profit that monitors civic freedoms in 198 countries, placed the US in its “obstructed” category. The group cited a “sharp deterioration of fundamental freedoms in the country … following a year of sweeping executive actions, restrictive laws and aggressive crackdowns on free speech and dissent.”

The shift comes just months after Civicus’s July assessment, which rated the US as “narrowed” – one step above “obstructed”. Civicus assigns each country a score based on civic space conditions, using five classifications: “open”, “narrowed”, “obstructed”, “repressed” and “closed”.

According to the group, an “obstructed” ranking applies to countries where civic space is heavily contested. Civil society organizations still exist but state authorities undermine them including through illegal surveillance, bureaucratic harassment and demeaning public statements.

“Citizens can organise and assemble peacefully but they are vulnerable to frequent use of excessive force by law enforcement agencies, including rubber bullets, tear gas and baton charges,” the rating description said.

It added in regards to media: “There is some space for non-state media and editorial independence, but journalists face the risk of physical attack and criminal defamation charges, which encourage self-censorship.”

The report cited militarized crackdowns on protests in the US, pointing to Donald Trump’s deployment of the national guard to Los Angeles and other cities, as well as the widespread use of ICE agents across gatherings and immigrant communities.

It further highlighted escalating restrictions on free speech across college campuses, particularly around Palestinian solidarity activism.

“Universities have suspended student groups and opened investigations under broad and vague accusations of ‘material support for terrorism.’ Foreign-born students and faculty have been disproportionately targeted, facing disciplinary actions, visa threats, and professional retaliation for supporting Palestinian rights,” the report stated.

Civicus moreover warned that media freedoms are under mounting pressure nationwide, citing the Federal Communications Commission’s threats to revoke broadcast licenses and Trump’s lawsuits against various media companies.

It also pointed to Trump’s revocation of funding for public broadcasters including NPR and PBS, as well as the new White House Wire, an administration-run news website that promotes positive news about itself.

“These actions, combined with efforts to sideline critical outlets from core government functions and foreign travel, reflect a systematic attempt to dominate the media landscape and silence independent journalism,” Civicus said.

Speaking about the latest classification, Mandeep Tiwana, Civivus’s secretary general, said: “The backsliding on rule of law and fundamental freedoms in the United States is truly alarming. We are witnessing a rapid and systematic attempt to stifle civic freedoms that Americans have come to take for granted, such as critiquing authorities and protesting peacefully.”

He continued: “As the USA prepares to mark 250 years since the American Revolution, we urge the government to course-correct and uphold the civic freedoms enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the constitution.”

With its new classification, the US now joins 39 other countries rated “obstructed” this year, including Hungary, Brazil and South Africa.