Irish Examiner view: Is the US no longer a democracy?

Having studied data on the country going back to 1798, V-Dem has ascertained that we are now seeing in America the 'most severe magnitude of democratic backsliding ever'

US president Donald Trump has accomplished the suppression of democratic institutions in just one year. Picture: Alex Brandon/AP

It is a shocking assertion to take in, but a new report from a reputable watchdog warns the United States of America can no longer be classed as a democracy.

The shift in mainstream American politics under the Trump administration has been viewed from within and afar with dismay, but few truly anticipated that the current incumbent of the White House could do irreparable damage to the self-proclaimed "greatest democracy in the world".