POGO: Trump’s first 100 days mark alarming breakdown in democratic guardrails

One hundred days into President Donald Trump’s second term, watchdogs warn that America’s constitutional safeguards are crumbling under the weight of executive overreach. A new analysis from the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) outlines how the structures meant to prevent authoritarian rule are faltering — and, in some cases, disappearing altogether.

The US system was never designed to rely on good faith alone. But oversight mechanisms such as independent inspectors general, an apolitical civil service, whistleblower protections, and congressional scrutiny are eroding. In recent months, President Trump has fired watchdogs without cause, purged civil servants, and illegally ousted officials tasked with protecting whistleblowers.

The judiciary remains a relative bright spot. Despite last year’s Supreme Court ruling expanding presidential immunity, some courts have upheld key constitutional checks. But broader systemic failures persist. Congressional oversight has grown performative, weakened by partisanship and an unwillingness to challenge executive power. Simultaneously, ethics rules for high-ranking officials remain toothless, with conflicts of interest—such as Elon Musk’s role in shaping policy — going unchecked.

As the original op-ed in Common Dreams argues, this moment is not just a reckoning — it is a rare opportunity. “Without consequences, the last abuse of power is just practice for the next.”