Donald Trump’s second term as United States president poses a grave threat to human rights in the US and around the world.

Throughout the campaign leading up to Tuesday’s election, Trump made no secret of his intent to violate the human rights of millions of people in the US. The evidence of the danger he poses is clear: 

• Trump’s first term included a long record of rights abuses, from dangerous immigration measures, the advancement of racist tropes, and policies that undermined social welfare.
• His first term also came to a close in January 21 after he fueled a violent insurrection to overthrow the results of a democratic election. 
• On the campaign trail, Trump made numerous troubling promises, including to round up and deport millions of immigrants and retaliate against political opponents. He made scapegoating immigrants a central pillar of this campaign. He also repeatedly praised autocrats such as Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un.
• A governing plan written by Trump’s former advisers and political allies, called Project 2025, details many other abusive, often racially discriminatory policies that the new administration may adopt.
• Abortion rights will be under increased threat during Trump’s second term, but voters in multiple states also chose to enshrine abortion rights into their state constitutions, creating bulwarks against potential attacks on reproductive freedom.

Meanwhile, Trump has signaled opposition to funding for humanitarian aid and civilian protection efforts in major conflicts and crises around the world. Instead, he could increase partnerships with rights-abusing governments while also undermining efforts to protect the human rights of people living under these governments.

It’s time to hold the line. World leaders, local officials, activists, and ordinary citizens all have a role to play in protecting human rights, keeping Trump from carrying out the abuses he has promised, and holding his administration accountable for abuses.

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