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On Tuesday, MSNBC columnist Ruth Ben-Ghiat appeared on NPR’s "1A" podcast and dubbed the Republican Party as the authoritarian party.
Ben-Ghiat was one of three guests who discussed the topic "Why Is Authoritarianism Surging Worldwide?" and its impact on the United States. Freedom House vice president of research and analysis Sarah Repucci started the discussion by describing the state of democracy in countries across the globe including the United States.
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(Original Caption) 1974 - Republican Elephant graphic, the symbol of the Republican Party. (Getty Images)
"Democracy has been in decline in this country," Repucci said, claiming that several issues including the nation's history with discrimination as a factor. Additionally, Repucci claimed that former President Trump had "autocratic aspirations" in his campaign. Ben-Ghiat went even further to include the entire Republican Party.
"The GOP is an authoritarian party now. One of the things Donald Trump did was to convert this party that was already heading out of democracy. He posed an authoritarian political discipline on it. It is a far-right party that has exited democracy. It no longer has any interest in that," Ben-Ghiat said.
She added, "We have two parties and one of them is no longer interested in democracy, so that is the American drama right now."
Former U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to speak at the Rally To Protect Our Elections conference on July 24, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Both Repucci and Ben-Ghiat compared Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying both attempt to consolidate power rather than help their fellow countrymen. The third guest, Bill Browder disagreed with the idea that Republicans or even Donald Trump is authoritarian.
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"For all the people screaming about how the situation is in the United States, no journalists were arrested, no opposition politicians were put in jail, no dissidents were assassinated. And so I think that the institutions held. They held rather well compared to what I’ve seen happen in Russia and other terrible places around the world," Browder said.
He emphasized the United States is "so so far away from" countries like Russia in terms of authoritarian positions.
While Ben-Ghiat denounced the GOP, she complimented the Black Lives Matter movement for being "the biggest social mobilization movement in American history" and assisting in voting out an autocratic politician who was in the midst of consolidating power.
President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, Friday, June 28, 2019. ((AP Photo/Susan Walsh))
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This NPR segment echoed what many media outlets including MSNBC, CBS, and ABC are claiming, which is that the Republican Party could lead to the "end of democracy" if they are successful in the 2022 midterm elections.
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