As he reaches his 100th day in office, instead of protecting and advancing human rights, President Donald Trump has embraced policies across a whole swath of issues that threaten them. His rhetoric and actions have regularly undermined longstanding United States commitments to basic values. He routinely distorts the truth, disparages the media, and scapegoats vulnerable communities.
For the most part, his foreign policy priorities have not been rooted in – or even guided by – core values or basic rights. He’s been virtually silent on human rights abuses when meeting or speaking with some of the world’s worst offenders – including leaders from Egypt, China, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Previous administrations have sometimes soft-pedaled their criticism of these governments, but none displayed the kind of determined indifference to human rights that Trump has channeled so far. The few times Trump has publicly defended human rights, it has been in response to actions undertaken by governments now considered US adversaries, like Venezuela or Syria – which makes it a lot more palatable to do so.
|
Dispatches
Human Rights Take Back Seat in Trump’s First 100 Days
Your tax deductible gift can help stop human rights violations and save lives around the world.
Region / Country
Most Viewed
-
April 27, 2021
A Threshold Crossed
-
June 24, 2022
Q&A: Access to Abortion is a Human Right
-
November 25, 2019
A Dirty Investment
-
September 3, 2019
“Don’t Punish Me for Who I Am”
-
March 10, 2011
“You Dress According to Their Rules”