We asked activists from authoritarian regimes what they wish they’d known sooner. Here’s what they said

Activists from Hungary, El Salvador and Turkey offer advice to the US about what they've learned about authoritarians

Donald Trump makes no secret of his admiration for strongmen like Hungary's Viktor Orban or El Salvador's Nayib Bukele. Last month, he praised Orban's hardline stance on immigration and urged European leaders to show more respect" for the president; earlier this year his administration struck a deal with Bukele to send more than 200 detained migrants to a notorious, maximum-security prison in El Salvador.

Many international organizations, experts and historians have sounded the alarm about the United States heading in a similar direction as these authoritarian regimes.