Analysis: The sequential architecture of power consolidation pioneered by El Salvador’s president is being mirrored in Trump’s domestic policies, raising alarms among democracy experts about the erosion of constitutional safeguards in the United States.
One afternoon in April 2025, Donald Trump welcomed El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele to the White House, praising his “fantastic job” as president. The meeting marked the latest chapter in a relationship that has raised profound questions about the direction of American democracy. Bukele, once celebrated as a reformer promising to clean up corruption and restore security, has systematically dismantled democratic institutions in his Central American nation, jailing over 100,000 people—many without evidence of gang affiliation—and ruling by decree for more than four years.
The Incremental Path to Power
Bukele’s journey from mayor to authoritarian leader followed a calculated sequence. He began by positioning himself as an anti-corruption crusader, appealing to a population weary of violence and graft. Upon taking office in 2019, he initiated a campaign against the country’s notorious gangs, deploying military and police forces into urban neighborhoods to normalize their presence.
This groundwork laid the foundation for what came next. In March 2022, following a surge in gang-related murders, Bukele declared a state of emergency that suspended fundamental civil liberties. Over 100,000 individuals were detained, with at least half believed by local rights organizations to have no connection to criminal activity. The narrative of the “Bukele miracle”—that he single-handedly restored order—gained traction both domestically and internationally, particularly among conservative circles in the United States.
However, beneath the surface of declining homicide rates lies a stark reality: mass arbitrary detention, reports of torture, and the suppression of dissent. Former police inspector general Zaira Navas estimates that fewer than 30% of those imprisoned are actual gang members, suggesting a deliberate strategy to target opposition strongholds and instill fear throughout society.
Trump’s Adoption of Bukele’s Tactics
Following his re-election in 2024, Trump swiftly implemented policies echoing Bukele’s authoritarian playbook. Federal raids targeting Democratic-leaning cities featured masked agents operating in unmarked vehicles, detaining individuals on minor charges to meet quotas—a tactic directly reminiscent of Salvadoran operations.
Congressman Jim McGovern noted striking parallels between these actions and testimonies from families affected by El Salvador’s crackdown. “We’ve seen this movie before,” he remarked, highlighting the concerning overlap in methodology between the two administrations.
The financial backing for these measures has been substantial. By April 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement possessed $118 billion in unspent funds from the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, later augmented by an additional $65 billion through the Secure America Act. This funding surge enabled a dramatic expansion of federal law enforcement capabilities, including significant increases in weapon purchases and personnel deployment.
Critics argue that this militarization serves not only immigration enforcement but also broader political objectives. Wisconsin State Senator Chris Larson warned that “the President is building an army to attack his own country,” pointing to cuts proposed for agencies like the FBI, ATF, and DEA in favor of bolstering ICE and CBP budgets.
Exporting the Model: From San Salvador to Washington
Bukele’s influence extends beyond tactical similarities. His rhetoric and ideology have found fertile ground within America’s conservative movement. At the 2024 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Bukele delivered a keynote address urging the next U.S. president to adopt similarly aggressive measures against perceived threats.
Members of Congress, including Representative Lauren Boebert and former Representative Matt Gaetz, publicly endorsed Bukele’s approach. Gaetz even established the El Salvador Caucus in Congress to advocate for adopting elements of Bukele’s governance model in the United States.
This alignment became evident in Trump’s own policies post-inauguration. Shortly after assuming office, Trump signed National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7), designating Antifa—a loosely defined collection of left-wing groups—as a domestic terrorism threat. This move paralleled Bukele’s classification of gangs as terrorist organizations, effectively criminalizing dissent under broad national security frameworks.
The implications extend far beyond rhetoric. Prosecutions under these directives have already begun, with individuals receiving lengthy prison sentences for alleged involvement in protests—even when no violence occurred. In one notable case, six protesters who never fired a weapon received 50-year sentences each for participating in a demonstration at a Texas ICE facility.
Institutional Erosion and Democratic Resilience
Despite mounting concerns, legal challenges continue to mount against the administration’s actions. Lower federal and state courts have maintained independence, issuing rulings that temporarily halt certain policies. However, the Supreme Court’s recent deference to executive authority has emboldened further consolidation efforts.
Former House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt warns that the current situation constitutes a “rolling coup,” designed to undermine electoral integrity and prevent peaceful transitions of power. He emphasizes that while individual actions may appear legally defensible, their cumulative effect threatens core democratic principles.
Gephardt’s organization, Keep Our Republic, prepares for potential legal battles ahead of upcoming midterm elections. Their strategy includes filing lawsuits across multiple states should Trump attempt to challenge electoral outcomes or invoke extraordinary executive powers based on disputed claims of fraud or interference.
Nevertheless, Gephardt stresses the importance of civic engagement. “If they take to the streets, they may hand the administration a pretext to invoke the Insurrection Act,” he cautions. “Authoritarians rule through fear—and they’ve got the guns.”
Why it Matters
The convergence of El Salvador’s authoritarian trajectory with emerging trends in American politics represents a critical juncture for global democracy. As Bukele’s methods gain traction among influential figures in the United States, the risk of institutional decay increases significantly. The erosion of checks and balances, coupled with the normalization of emergency powers and militarized policing, poses a direct challenge to the rule of law and civil liberties that define democratic societies.
This dynamic underscores the urgent need for vigilance and accountability from citizens, lawmakers, and judicial systems worldwide. The lessons from El Salvador serve as a cautionary tale—not merely a distant possibility, but a present threat requiring immediate attention and resistance to preserve democratic norms before they become irretrievably compromised.