Applebaum Warns U.S. Democracy Downgraded from Liberal to Electoral by International Observers

What was said

"The thing that's immediately notable to me is that those who made the map don't count the United States anymore as a liberal democracy. So, a liberal democracy meaning a state where the electoral rules are clear, where the electoral system is set up not to favor one party or the next. And instead, it's described as an electoral democracy, which is somewhat less free."

Applebaum presented a global democracy map showing international observers have officially downgraded the United States from a liberal democracy to an electoral democracy, placing it in the same category as some South American nations rather than alongside stable democracies like those in Western Europe, Australia, and Japan. She explained this reflects growing concerns about gerrymandering, judicial independence, and systematic efforts to shape electoral outcomes rather than ensure fair competition.