Authoritarianism
Greens leader Banaszak compares ICE agents to SA and SS
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The co-chair of Germany's Greens party, Felix Banaszak, has compared the actions of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to methods used by the Nazis. In a podcast, he sharply criticized President Donald Trump's deportation policies and warned of authoritarian tendencies. The comparison relates to deadly incidents in Minneapolis.
Some political scientists argue the United States is no longer functioning as a liberal democracy and is instead exhibiting traits of “competitive authoritarianism,” a system in which elections take place but incumbents use state power to tilt the playing field. The concept’s co-creators, Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way, told NPR they never expected to apply the term to the U.S.
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In an interview with NPR’s Scott Simon aired February 7, 2026, author and Atlantic staff writer Anne Applebaum said the United States is not currently an authoritarian state, but argued that the Trump-led MAGA movement is pursuing steps that could weaken the rule of law and push the country toward one-party rule. She compared the patterns she sees to democratic backsliding in countries including Hungary, Turkey and Venezuela.