US ‘on a trajectory’ toward authoritarian rule, ex-officials warn

A network of former intelligence and security officers says democratic decline is accelerating under Trump's rule

The United States is on a trajectory" toward authoritarian rule, according to a sobering new intelligence-style assessment by former US intelligence and national security officials, who warn that democratic backsliding is accelerating under the Trump administration - and may soon become entrenched without organized resistance.

The report, titled Accelerating Authoritarian Dynamics: Assessment of Democratic Decline, was released on Thursday by the Steady State, a network of more than 340 former officers of the CIA, the NSA, the state department and other national security agencies.