United States — Trump administration (2017–2021)
United States
Basis for the estimate: 2017 tax cuts, tariffs on China, immigration restriction, deregulation.
Official system and how it worked in practice
| Official system | Federal presidential constitutional republic |
|---|---|
| In practice | Liberal democracy electoral democracy plus strong rule of law, judicial and legislative checks, and protected individual rights |
“In practice” is V-Dem’s Regimes of the World classification for United States of America, 2017–2021, from expert-coded data (V-Dem Regimes of the World (v2x_regime), V-Dem dataset v16, March 2026). V-Dem codes each country as it stood at the end of each year, so the first and last years can reflect the previous or next government. The official system is the constitutional form during the period.
Political placement
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 64 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 63 | near the center | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 46 | near the center | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 89 | strongly toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 45 | near the center |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 73 | toward private ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 52 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 89 | strongly toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 65 | near the center |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 40 | near the center |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 71 | toward hierarchical |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 49 | near the center |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 45 | near the center |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 60 | near the center |
Country and government scores interpret the policies of a specific government or period; they are not an authoritative ranking of countries, and official constitutional structures can differ from how power is exercised in practice. How scores are made.
Key positions (estimated)
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Tariffs can be justified to protect domestic industries. | Strongly agrees | from their record |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Agrees | estimated |
| Cutting taxes is generally better for the economy than increasing public spending. | Strongly agrees | from their record |
| Medical gender transition should not be available to minors. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Disagrees | estimated |
| A more equal distribution of social power is desirable. | Disagrees | estimated |
Closest ideologies
Most similar governments
Sources
- Wikipedia: First presidency of Donald Trump (Wikipedia search)
Last reviewed October 11, 2026.