{"id":244167,"date":"2025-11-06T14:07:45","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T08:37:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=244167"},"modified":"2025-11-14T03:23:59","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T21:53:59","slug":"us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/","title":{"rendered":"US Under Trump: Reversing Gains For Democracy & Freedom"},"content":{"rendered":"

By S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole<\/a> –<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Prof S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole<\/p><\/div>\n

Funding the Destruction of and Genocide in Gaza <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

According to America\u2019s Council of Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><\/span>, the United States supports Israel with approximately $3.8 billion in annual military aid, and this amount has been substantially increased by emergency supplemental funding since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.\u00a0Al Jazeera<\/i> states that of the 200,000 tons of bombs dropped in Gaza, 70,000 tons<\/span><\/a><\/span> are unexploded. Many of the Guided Bombs (Smart Bombs) are said to belong to the US-designed Mk80 family of general-purpose bombs (Mk-82, Mk-83, Mk-84) which are converted into precision-guided munitions using guidance kits. Controversial Weapons used include white phosphorus and cluster bombs.<\/p>\n

\"\"

US Economic and Military Aid: Israel\u2019s Founding to Now<\/p><\/div>\n

In Sri Lanka where the bombs mainly came from China, most of them exploded. I recall just one unexploded bomb near home which the LTTE quickly carried away. In contrast, 70,000 out of 200,000 tons not exploding in Gaza suggests that the US was using Israel to test its weapons in development, including the White Phosphorus and Cluster Bombs. Given the US funding for Israel\u2019s military and Israel\u2019s cancellation of an arms-sale contract to China on US insistence, and paying $350 million to China in damages, there is little denying that Israel is America\u2019s client state<\/span><\/a><\/span>. The Genocide in Gaza, at its worst after Trump\u2019s return, is his responsibility, even at his direction. He has made the US a cruel and murderous state. Indeed, barbarous.<\/p>\n

New Forms of American Bribery under Trump<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The US under Donald Trump has been transformed into a corrupt bully, a thug!<\/p>\n

Bribery stands out. It seems a new feature of the US Government under Trump, almost mimicking the Rajapaksas. In many ways the US seems worse than Sri Lanka in terms of rule of law.<\/p>\n

Trump suing people and companies and then settling for multimillions, it seems to me, is new way of getting bribes and a pattern where a bribe is camouflaged as a suit settlement. Critics have called it \u201clegalised extortion by the federal government\u201d and some of these funds go to Trump\u2019s pet causes says an Axios<\/i> Report dated July 30, 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n

These include<\/a><\/span> Columbia University $221 million to resolve claims and regain access to over a billion dollars in federal funding; Brown University\u00a0$50 million; University of Pennsylvania (no financial penalty but agreed to specific policy changes regarding transgender athletes and an apology to female athletes; Harvard University (reportedly in negotiations for a potential settlement that could reach\u00a0$500 million to restore billions in research grants); and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where the Trump administration is seeking a $1 billion settlement to unfreeze hundreds of millions in federal grants.<\/p>\n

Nine major law firms agreed to provide pro bono<\/i> legal services valued at over $940 million collectively, in exchange for the administration\u2019s dropping threats to cut their federal contracts; Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, A&O Shearman, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett (each $125 million); Cadwalader, Milbank, Skadden Arps, Willkie Farr & Gallagher (each $100 million); Paul Weiss ($40 million); Paramount\/CBS ($36 million); Meta, Facebook\u2019s parent company ($25 million) \u2013 Trump sued Facebook for affecting his free speech rights when Facebook and Instagram suspended him indefinitely for using the platforms to praise on Jan. 6, 2021 \u201cpeople engaged in violence at the Capitol\u201d and to \u201cincite violent insurrection against a democratically elected government\u201d); Disney\/ABC News (which settled for a\u00a0$16 million\u00a0donation to the future Trump Library. Trump sued because the news stated that Trump had been found \u201cliable for rape<\/span><\/a><\/span>\u201d (which in New York requires penile penetration) whereas a jury had found Trump civilly liable for the sexual abuse and battery of E. Jean Carroll); and Elon Musk\u2019s X ($10 million when Trump sued Twitter (now called X) for banning him like Facebook did).<\/p>\n

Trump is also accused by critics of offering pardons for a bribe. As described in The Huff Post<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Trump claimed not to know Changpeng Zhao, the Binance cryptocurrency exchange founder whom Trump pardoned\u00a0after he was convicted in 2023 for money laundering. According to the US government, Zhao had caused \u2018significant harm to US national security,\u2019 essentially by allowing terrorist groups like Hamas to move millions of dollars around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump pounds Hamas in Israel but pardons those who help Hamas launder money. It is power not principle that matters to Trump.<\/p>\n

When the CBS \u201c60 Minutes\u201d interviewer asked Trump why he pardoned Zhao, he put it on his sons, and in excuse said Zhao paid a $50 million fine and served 4 months in prison while the company paid $4 billion in penalties.<\/p>\n

But critics say there is another reason Trump should know Zhao: Binance this year, 2025, helped the Trump family\u2019s highly profitable foray into cryptocurrency and, reports USA Today, did so again after the pardon<\/span><\/a><\/span>. CBS then cut out of the video the parts where Trump rants over the questions on the pardon, but we can see it from the transcript that had been released already; the editing having been pointless after both were released after viewers protested<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

If there is anything clean about Trump, whereas Bill Clinton let political donors stay a night in the Lincoln Room at the White House for payment and some Sri Lankan Tamils have used this, Trump has a \u201cby-invitation only\u201d policy by which he has allowed personal guests like Elon Musk to stay.<\/p>\n

Thuggery to Bully Nations<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Trump is assuming legal guardianship of Christians assuming he is anointed by God<\/span><\/a><\/span> as publicly stated by Franklin Graham, the son of Billy Graham\u2019s who has a massive following in Colombo among Youth for Christ, Graduate Christian Fellowship, the Grace Churches, Back to the Bible, and many others. Just knowing the Grahams make careers in these circles.<\/p>\n

Fishermen from Venezuela and neighboring Caribbean countries are being bombed and then accused by God\u2019s anointed Trump without evidence of being drug smugglers. Being sexual predators, even of minors, is but only one of the Trump administration\u2019s failures. Like the followers of Sai Baba and Ramakrishna, both paedophiles, admiring the credibly and widely accused hebephile Trump with<\/span> an erotic preference for prepubescent girls<\/span> does not diminish any of Colombo\u2019s Evangelicals.<\/p>\n

In Nigeria where Christians and Muslims are infighting, Trump is using it as a pretext for invasion. He announced on Nov. 1, 2025, <\/span>that he has asked the Defence Department to prepare for possible \u201cfast\u201d military action in Nigeria if the West African nation fails to crack down on the killing of Christians.\u201d Otherwise, the US government will also immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, Africa\u2019s most populous nation and top oil producer, Trump said in a post on Truth Social. He added, \u201cIf the United States sends in military forces, it would go in \u2018guns-a-blazing,\u2019 to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump called Nigeria a \u201cdisgraced country\u201d and warned its government must move quickly. \u201cIf we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!\u201d he wrote. Nigeria is indeed not as disgraced as Trump\u2019s America. Nigeria was once my home and I loved her people.<\/p>\n

White Minority: Tackling Affirmative Action<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The forecast is that non-Hispanic White people in America would be a minority in 20 years, by 2045<\/span><\/a><\/span>. The Christian Right, very upset by the changing colour of America, is now shameless and open about its racism.<\/p>\n

There is about 40% of the US population that is inveterately racist. Trump is intelligent enough to tap into White fears and has permanently cornered this 40% segment as a part of his base that would always vote for him. These 40% cannot stand the thought of becoming a minority in 20 years.<\/p>\n

Discriminating against homosexuals and those of transgender identity is safe because they form a very tiny minority with little power so it is done. According to a Gallup Poll published by CNN (Feb. 20, 2025), the numbers are 1) Gay: 2%; 2) Lesbian: 1.4%; 3) Bisexual:\u00a05.2%; and 4) Transgender: 1.3%. This gives a total for LGBTQ+: 9.3%. Even these numbers are dubious since boys masturbating for each other in boys\u2019 school dorms take to heterosexual behaviour upon passing out. A few of my heterosexual engineering students on training camps in jungles took to homosexual behaviour and returned to marry as heterosexuals. Are they homosexual or bisexual?<\/p>\n

As the Christian Right fears Indians and Chinese taking over successful and populous states like California and New York, there is pushback against the H1-B visa that we use to come in. As I recall, I once came in on H1 and my wife on H4. These states are sympathetic to the view that merit and equity are concepts that militate against minorities. So universities like the Ivy Leagues are pushed by Trump not to give reservations for minorities and insist on not relying too much on SAT Scores. They want personality, sports, extra-curricular activities, and refereces but not too much emphasis on exam grades and mathematics.<\/p>\n

I remember once giving up on an application for a federal job because St. John\u2019s College did not have a school number without which I could not proceed to the next page of the form. It is the CEEB Code which was required when I returned to the US after displacement and I was desperate. I protested and got no reply. It was someone with a Trump-mindset who must have been responding to mail at the State Department. This is what Trump loves \u2013 that we of colour be unable to fill forms.<\/p>\n

Interestingly Trump who has threatened to sue anyone releasing his SAT scores got only 960\/1600<\/span><\/a><\/span> when the average, as revealed by Jimmy Kimmel the talk-show comedian, was 980. This explains Trump\u2019s anger against universities that in the year 1965 denied him admission based on his score \u2013 when prestigious universities had successful students with scores in the range 1400-1550\/1600.<\/p>\n

Note that the SAT with 2 parts for 1600 points, Verbal and Quantitative, moved to 3 parts, Reading, Writing and Quantitative for 2400 points. The introduction of the third new part, took away the advantage Asians had with the Quantitative. It was like Applied Maths and Pure Maths being made into one Mathematics in Sri Lanka to cripple Tamils who had an advantage.<\/p>\n

Today, Reading and Writing in SAT has been combined but with the calculator allowed for Quantitative, thereby still taking away somewhat the advantage of Asians who know their mathematics tables better. The White Establishment does not concede this, but indirectly agrees<\/span><\/a><\/span> saying instead, \u201cMathematical ability varies across all populations, and factors like strong math education in some Asian countries, cultural emphasis on practice, and specific learning methods like using an abacus explain the high performance in certain groups\u201d).<\/p>\n

The almost illiterate Trump often writes stollen for stolen (24 times since March 5, 2019), their for there, smocking for smoking, unpresidented for unprecedented, confusing its and it\u2019s, boarder for border, etc., etc. on Truth Social<\/p>\n

Hollywood\u2019s Promotion of Minority Success<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

White heterosexuals are further threatened when liberal Hollywood, in an attempt to encourage minorities to aspire, depicts most lawyers as persons of colour \u2013 taking different positions with Asians and Afro-Americans.<\/p>\n

The American Medical Association\u2019s Journal of Ethics<\/span><\/a><\/span>, says that South Asian doctors are over-represented in the US medical field, making up approximately 10\u201312% of physicians compared to about 7% of the general population, while TV shows significantly under-represent them. Despite their high numbers in medicine, South Asian physicians are often excluded from narratives and are not reflected in the media portrayal of doctors, which continues to lag behind reality.<\/p>\n

However, with African Americans who number 13-14% of the US population, according to the American Bar Association (ABA), Black or African American lawyers constitute about 5% of all lawyers, and that number is stagnating. Within law firms African Americans make up only 0.60% of partners and 2.43% of associates. Yet, in programs like Law and Order, Black attorneys are depicted as constituting 25% of all lawyers<\/span><\/a><\/span>, while Black criminals are shown as much fewer than their 13-14%.<\/p>\n

Why the difference between African Americans and South Asians? I believe it is easier to be kindly toward African Americans who are a weaker community whom White folk outperform, whereas the stronger South Asian medical community threatens White folk.<\/p>\n

The Party Bias of Refugees and Gerrymandering<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Trump has moved decisively to deport people of colour to alter electoral maps. Illegal immigrants tend to vote for the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n

The Public Religion Research Institute, P<\/span>RRI, has looked into voting records in history, not just by religious practice and belief but also by race, and found that when it comes to political views, there has been a clear trend for decades: <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost without exception, white Christian groups have tended to vote Republican in presidential contests,\u201d says Dr. Jones, PRRI\u2019s President-Founder. \u201cNon-white Christian groups, non-Christian groups and religiously unaffiliated voters have tended to vote Democrat.\u201d This pattern dates back to the 1960s, he adds, when the Democratic Party became associated with the civil rights movement and white Christian groups began migrating to the Republican Party.<\/span><\/p>\n

When I walk through META (the social technology company that owns apps like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, almost everybody is Southeast Asian or South Asian. For software engineers, the starting salary is an astounding $179,000-$198,000 per year<\/span><\/a><\/span>. At Stanford Hospital, almost everyone is Southeast Asian. A Registered Nurse can earn approximately $125K-$174K<\/span><\/a> <\/span>per year.<\/p>\n

As the Christian Right fears Indians and Chinese taking over electorally influential, successful and populous states like California and New York, there is pushback against the H1-B visa that we use to get in. Trump\u2019s racist base is sympathetic to the view that merit and equity are concepts that militate against them. So universities like the New and Traditional Ivies are pushed not to give reservations for minorities and reduce the emphasis on SAT scores (which were once compulsory for admissions, then were made voluntary and now are being brought back as optional).<\/p>\n

Boasting to Congress on March 4, 2025, that ‘America will \u2018Be Woke no longer<\/span>,<\/span><\/a>\u2019 Trump rolled off his supposed accomplishments. Some of these are<\/p>\n

1. a freeze on hiring,<\/p>\n

2. a freeze on foreign aid,<\/p>\n

3. withdrawing from the climate change agreement, the WHO, the human rights council, and all environmental restrictions,<\/p>\n

4. withdrawing the electric vehicle mandate,<\/p>\n

5. nullifying 10 old regulations for every new one from him,<\/p>\n

6. every federal worker having to show up at work in person or be removed from the job \u2013 this will run up against many laws;<\/p>\n

7. bringing back free speech (which he denies to anyone who even calls Israeli actions genocide);<\/p>\n

8. renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America;<\/p>\n

9. making English the official language of America (at a time when I, to my pride, got my voting instructions in California printed in Tamil;<\/p>\n

\"\"

Voting Instructions in California in Tamil<\/p><\/div>\n

10. reverting Mount McKinley to its name which had been changed to Dinali the name used by Alaskans \u2013 like changing my neighbourhood roads back to Green Path and Turret Road from Ananda Coomaraswamy Mw \u2013 from from which Tamil name it has been changed to Nelum Pokuna Road \u2013 and Anagarika Dharmapala Mw respectively). The change away from McKinley is a racist hit at Alaskans. However, I would vote for reversion to the Colombo Roads because Anandacoomaraswamy was a Tamil and Anagarika in Tamil means \u201cthe Uncultured\u201d). Trump and the Rajapaksas share their lack of culture;<\/p>\n

11. eliminating all diversity, equity and inclusion policies in the federal government, the private sector and military \u2013 he really cannot dictate this to the private sector;<\/p>\n

12. people being hired would be hired on competence, not race or gender. This again cannot be imposed on the private sector.\u00a0 <\/span>This policy ignores that minorities are not networked into the management \u2013 further overlooking that women need special considerations like safety, time off for childcare, etc.; and<\/p>\n

13. making it official policy that there are only two genders, male and female.<\/p>\n

Being Rid of Refuge Seekers and Non-Hispanic Whites<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

As reported by National Public Service (Oct. 29, 2025), a recruitment video featured on the US Immigration and Customs Agency\u2019s social media platforms urged viewers to join ICE, stating \u201cUnder the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Noem, we\u2019ve reclaimed our border, secured our nation, and have begun to deport these foreign invaders because they lean Democratic.\u201d America is for Americans,\u201d and \u201cReclaim our Culture\u201d said ICE advertisements.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Racist ICE Advertisement: Every Criminal Illegal Immigrant Must Go: America for Americans<\/p><\/div>\n

Just as important as the task of securing our borders is the task of defending our culture \u2013 and what it means to be an American. While brilliant Ivy Leaguers are deported, Trump\u2019s current wife who has modelled in the nude, received what is called an \u201cEinstein Visa,\u201d reserved for top scientists who do not have to wait in line, but many who came lawfully and were naturalised are being arrested by ICE agents breaking into their homes and deported on the presumption they are illegal because of their skin colour. MAGA Christians seem castrated in stopping Trump\u2019s lawlessness even as they stress the restoration of law and order. Trump\u2019s speech to Congress is swallowed hook, line and sinker by these law-and-order Christians who are unable to see how lawless the US government has become, deporting anyone who speaks dissent despite Trump\u2019s claims on restoring free speech.<\/p>\n

Wole Soyinka (who, as a specially deputised Marshall, I believe, ticketed me in Nigeria for speeding) has had his visa annulled for speaking against US policy. America has become a scary place.<\/p>\n

We thought we were safe in Northern California when we thought of joining the protests against Trump. But at Stanford Hospital we were given material on how to respond if we are raided by ICE agents:<\/p>\n

\u201cStay calm, do not open the door unless a judicial warrant is presented, and clearly state your right to remain silent and right to an attorney. Do not sign any documents without legal counsel, and record the encounter, including agents\u2019 names and badge numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ICE exercise is to deport Immigrants of colour and Whiten America. In 1987 when I first came to California and was stalked by the police, I wrote in The Los Angeles Times<\/i> (June 12, 1992) after which I received harassing,\u00a0 <\/span>threatening calls from the Ku Klux Klan and was helped by my Jewish Dean who encouraged me to go to the FBI.<\/p>\n

Gerrymandering: The Hidden Story<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Electoral boundaries are redrawn every 10 years, but under Trump\u2019s instigation, Texas is redrawing boundaries to get more Republican seats as he is not sure of controlling Congress after Nov. 2026. Today (Nov. 4, 2025) California approved Proposition 50 to redraw California electorates. It is seen as tit-for-tat for the illegal (perhaps unfair is more correct) Trump efforts in Texas.<\/p>\n

Be that as it may, the hidden story is that illegal immigrants would vote more for Democrats than for Republicans. So Democrats do little to stop illegal immigration while Republicans stop any legal immigration allowing people of colour to come in and reside legally.<\/p>\n

The Good News \u2013 Zohran Mamdani<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Trump is an aberration. Although 40% of the electorate is racist and will stand behind Trump, 60% will not. Today\u2019s triumph by Zohran Mamdani \u2013 despite his faith and race and standing up for Palestinians being used against him, and Trump and allies arraying Republicans and even disgruntled Democrats against him. It was suggested that he is a communist and if he wins a Muslim would be the next US president. Yet, over 50% voted for him. Few believe Trump now. He is exposed.<\/p>\n

This bad Trump dream will not last after Nov. 2028; ending earlier perhaps if he continues to bungle as he is, and is forced out. Democracy will return. We will be free soon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":244078,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2186,46,8,2375],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-244167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-featured-news","category-constitutional-reforms","category-editorial","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\nUS Under Trump: Reversing Gains For Democracy & Freedom - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US Under Trump: Reversing Gains For Democracy & Freedom - Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[…]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-06T08:37:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-13T21:53:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zohran-Mamdani.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"345\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"16 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/\",\"name\":\"US Under Trump: Reversing Gains For Democracy & Freedom - Colombo Telegraph\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zohran-Mamdani.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-06T08:37:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-13T21:53:59+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ef6d4b23b13c42856fc33451595d5eef\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zohran-Mamdani.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zohran-Mamdani.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":345},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"US Under Trump: Reversing Gains For Democracy & Freedom\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/\",\"name\":\"Colombo Telegraph\",\"description\":\"In journalism truth is a process\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ef6d4b23b13c42856fc33451595d5eef\",\"name\":\"S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fb4af6fa3dc3a672d69a4a1dffbf3972b6165b85bf0ef5016955404ed1ec7bf9?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fb4af6fa3dc3a672d69a4a1dffbf3972b6165b85bf0ef5016955404ed1ec7bf9?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/author\/ratnajeevan\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"US Under Trump: Reversing Gains For Democracy & Freedom - Colombo Telegraph","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"US Under Trump: Reversing Gains For Democracy & Freedom - Colombo Telegraph","og_description":"[…]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/","og_site_name":"Colombo Telegraph","article_published_time":"2025-11-06T08:37:45+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-13T21:53:59+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":345,"url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zohran-Mamdani.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole","Est. reading time":"16 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/","name":"US Under Trump: Reversing Gains For Democracy & Freedom - Colombo Telegraph","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zohran-Mamdani.jpg","datePublished":"2025-11-06T08:37:45+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-13T21:53:59+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ef6d4b23b13c42856fc33451595d5eef"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zohran-Mamdani.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zohran-Mamdani.jpg","width":600,"height":345},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/us-under-trump-reversing-gains-for-democracy-freedom\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"US Under Trump: Reversing Gains For Democracy & Freedom"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/","name":"Colombo Telegraph","description":"In journalism truth is a process","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ef6d4b23b13c42856fc33451595d5eef","name":"S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fb4af6fa3dc3a672d69a4a1dffbf3972b6165b85bf0ef5016955404ed1ec7bf9?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fb4af6fa3dc3a672d69a4a1dffbf3972b6165b85bf0ef5016955404ed1ec7bf9?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole"},"url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/author\/ratnajeevan\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Zohran-Mamdani.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244167"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":244195,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244167\/revisions\/244195"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}