What will Trump presidency mean for global human rights?
One expert says human rights activists will be 'roadkill' in the path of the Trump juggernaut
During his election campaign, US president-elect Donald Trump showed himself happy to praise repressive regimes and strongman leaders, including Russia's Vladimir Putin.
So what will a Trump presidency mean for human rights around the world?
'A rush to repression'
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
If Trump follows the course he set out during his campaign, there will be "a rush to repression in countries around the world", warns the Washington Post.
The newspaper notes that one of the first global leaders to congratulate him was Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Trump called Sisi, who took power in a military coup, a "fantastic guy" earlier this year.
"During the campaign, Trump brushed off reports of brutality and repression by the likes of Russia's Vladimir Putin, Syria's Bashar al-Assad and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan," says the Post. "Not surprisingly, all three regimes welcomed his Electoral College victory."
Trump in China
The reality TV star's win is a "gift" to propagandists for China's authoritarian regime, says Katie Stallard of Sky News.
A Clinton presidency would have been "four long years of criticism – of being lectured about China's record on human rights". Trump's presence in the White House will let them off the hook, Stallard concludes.
Trump repeatedly vilified China as a trade "cheat" on the campaign trail, but his team are already climbing down from that position, says The Guardian, and offering a more conciliatory tone.
In fact, experts believe Trump could initiate a dramatic rapprochement with the world superpower, says the newspaper, because he will be prepared to overlook the authoritarian regime's widespread human rights abuses.
China expert Orville Schell told the Guardian that the property tycoon could radically shake up the Sino-American relationship because of his unusual style.
"He wants to swagger into [China and Russia] and show that his acumen is not policy, it's not experience, it's, 'Let's make a deal'," he said. "Trump has this grandiose notion of his ability to make a deal. And his deals don't normally trifle with such things as human rights [or] American values."
China's human rights activists are in despair at Trump's election, says the Guardian. They will be "roadkill" in the path of Trump's "big leader machinations to... prove his acumen as a powerful and catalytic deal-maker", says Schell.
Trump and women
Trump is particularly bad news for women in China, Asia and the rest of the planet, says Stallard: "It's hard to suit-up and advocate for women's rights around the world when you're known for apparently bragging about sexually assaulting them."
Women worldwide have reason to be fearful, according to Sophie Richardson of Human Rights Watch. She said: "It's hard to pressure other governments to improve their human rights record when you are credibly alleged to have committed abuses.
"In order to be credible on women's rights, and indeed any human rights, president-elect Trump needs to answer allegations against him and publicly commit to upholding the United States' many and longstanding human rights commitments."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Ex-Sen. Bob Menendez sentenced to 11 years
Speed Read The former New Jersey senator was convicted on federal bribery and corruption charges last year
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Passenger jet, Blackhawk helicopter collide in DC
Speed Read An American Airlines flight with 64 people aboard collided with an Army helicopter, and no survivors have been found
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
White House withdraws Trump's spending freeze
Speed Read President Donald Trump's budget office has rescinded a directive that froze trillions of dollars in federal aid and sowed bipartisan chaos
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
White House withdraws Trump's spending freeze
Speed Read President Donald Trump's budget office has rescinded a directive that froze trillions of dollars in federal aid and sowed bipartisan chaos
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Born this way
Opinion 'Born here, citizen here' is the essence of Americanism
By Mark Gimein Published
-
Charles Grassley: the senator in charge of Trump's legal agenda
In the Spotlight The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman in charge of Trump's legal agenda
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Caroline Kennedy urges Senate to reject RFK Jr.
Speed Read Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s cousin said he should not become President Donald Trump's health secretary, calling his medical views 'dangerous'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
China's backyard: will Trump's aggression push Latin America away?
Today's Big Question Rift between US and Colombia, threats of tariffs on Mexico, designs on Panama Canal and mass deportations could encourage closer ties with Beijing
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The biggest international naming disputes in history
The Explainer Nations have often been at odds with each other over geographic titles
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Trump sparks chaos with spending, aid freezes
Speed Read A sudden freeze on federal grants and loans by President Donald Trump's administration has created widespread confusion
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
What could happen to the US food supply under Trump's isolationist agenda?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The president's plan to deport undocumented workers and levy massive taxes on international imports might have repercussions on your dinner plate
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published