Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Is President Donald Trump truly an authoritarian? Over the past year, a group of partisan Wikipedia editors has cultivated a narrative that explicitly claims this about him. This article explores the mechanics behind this narrative construction and its implications for public perception.
The Rise of the Authoritarian Label
Adversarial editors have infiltrated numerous Wikipedia entries, generating a highly charged argument that positions Trump as an authoritarian leader. Utilizing verbatim language and identical sources, they have established a foundation that is now beginning to affect platforms like ChatGPT. This AI system references these Wikipedia articles as supposed proof of Trump’s authoritarianism.
Examining the Trump Wikipedia Page
The most significant manifestation of this effort appears in the main Wikipedia article dedicated to Trump. As of October 3, the entry includes the term “authoritarian” no fewer than seven times, prominently in the introduction. It asserts that the president’s actions, particularly during his second term, have been described as authoritarian and that they contribute to democratic backsliding.
While this sentence fails to specify who characterizes the president in this way, a deeper look offers clues. In the “Second Presidency” section of the article, the editors claim that Trump’s actions against civil society have been described as authoritarian by numerous legal experts and political scientists.
Questionable Sourcing
Wikipedia backs this sweeping assertion with a mere three sources. Among them is an April article from The Guardian, a publication that has garnered a reputation for left-leaning journalism, particularly due to its affiliations with organizations like George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.
This article quotes Harvard political scientist Steven Levitsky, who claims that Trump possesses “a strikingly authoritarian instinct.” Importantly, Levitsky’s connection to the Protect Democracy political NGO presents a conflict of interest. This organization prominently features a campaign titled “The Authoritarian Threat,” founded by former Obama White House Associate Counsel Ian Bassin.
Continuity of the Authoritarian Narrative
The Wikipedia initiative to characterize Trump as authoritarian follows a similar campaign that aimed to label him as a
