5:59 v originále: Ian Bremmer sees no Trump’s autocracy but more kleptocracy

What is it that Donald Trump ultimately aims to achieve? That question has been weighing heavy on many people’s minds ever since the sitting US president came back to power in January. Now that he marked his first 100 days in office we take the opportunity to delve deeper into his designs, both at home and globally.

After all it’s not just the chaos and panic that Trump’s transactional approach caused internationally. There are concerns about the rule of law and the future of democracy in the United States itself with some analysts talking about the slide to autocracy. Ian Bremmer, a renown American political scientist and commentator is not one of them though.

Listen to the full interview with Ian Bremmer for the 5:59 podcast in English:

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"I view it a little bit differently," the founder and president of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media said in his interview for 5:59 podcast. "I think that the United States has been a kleptocracy where money and special interest capture the political system for decades now. And Trump has leaned into that kleptocracy with the appointment of Elon Musk while he still owns all of his companies and also with the personal enrichment of Trump and his family."

Unlike his colleagues and friends Timothy Snyder or Francis Fukuyama, who have repeatedly shared their concerns for the survival of American democracy, Bremmer doesn't necessarily see the US drifting towards authoritarianism. He sees vital signs of resilience in the independent judicial system or in the way the institutions of higher learning fight back against the pressure coming from the Trump administration, for example.

"The US is not an authoritarian regime (..) And even if Trump is trying to push the US in that direction, he is unlikely to succeed in my view,“ he says. „I think there are lots of things in the U.S. that continue to show significant resilience (…) There are horrible headlines coming from the U.S. that shows a great deal of dysfunction politically, and I don't deny any of that, but that's not to say there isn't resilience."

How is Donald Trump's transactional approach to international relations affecting the position of the United States in the world? Can America function in the world without allies? For more insights and analysis from Ian Bremmer listen to the full 5:59 podcast in the audio player above.