Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not a president. He is a tyrant in a suit—a man who has twisted every institution of Turkey’s once-promising democracy into a tool of personal power, religious authoritarianism, and vindictive persecution. His latest move—jailing Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on sham charges of “corruption” and “terrorism”—should erase all doubt about what Erdogan is and what he intends: total, unchallenged, irreversible control.

Let us not mince words: this is the calculated destruction of a democracy. The arrest of Imamoglu is not merely about silencing a political rival; it is the deliberate gutting of a rising opposition leader, the man who decisively defeated Erdogan’s handpicked candidate in Istanbul’s 2019 mayoral election. The Turkish people chose Imamoglu—twice. Erdogan responded not with humility or reform, but with rage and retaliation.

First came the absurd 2023 charge of “insulting a public official.” Now, with a presidential election looming, comes a fresh wave of judicial absurdity: corruption charges, terrorism accusations, and the shocking move by Istanbul University to strip Imamoglu of his diploma, thus barring him from presidential candidacy. The sheer audacity of the maneuver is breathtaking. It is nothing less than the political assassination of a democratic contender.

And all the while, Erdogan feigns innocence, pretending these decisions are the natural outgrowth of a lawful system. They are not. They are the product of a thoroughly captured judiciary and a bureaucracy that dances to the tune of a dictator. The Turkish Constitution, which once limited presidents to two terms, was amended at Erdogan’s bidding to allow him to stay in power—a shameless act of political engineering that any despot would admire. And he’s not done. He’s now clearing the field for a fourth term, betting that no challenger will remain standing.

The people of Turkey see what’s happening. Mass protests erupted across Istanbul following Imamoglu’s arrest. They are not fooled. They know Erdogan is trying to kill off the last remnants of electoral competition, the final embers of the republic founded by Atatürk. And yet, the so-called defenders of democracy in the West remain largely silent, too afraid, too indifferent, or too entangled in geopolitical compromise to speak with clarity.

Erdogan’s Antisemitism and Hatred of Israel: A Warning Sign of the Extremism Within

Let us also be clear about another aspect of Erdogan’s descent: his seething, venomous hatred of Israel and the normalization of rabid antisemitism under his regime. Erdogan has repeatedly used Israel as a scapegoat in speeches, amplified Hamas propaganda, and positioned himself as the global mouthpiece of Islamist resentment against the Jewish state. This is not legitimate criticism of policy—this is hate. And it’s dangerous.

Erdogan’s Islamist worldview has been a corrosive force in the region for years. Under his leadership, Turkey has become a haven for extremists, a destabilizing actor in Syria and Libya, and a saboteur of NATO’s unity. His hostility toward Israel is not merely rhetorical—it shapes his foreign policy and isolates his country from democratic norms.

The response from the former Biden administration, as reported by The Free Press, has been pitiful at best, complicit at worst. A limp comment from the State Department spokeswoman about “encouraging Turkey to respect human rights” is not only laughably inadequate—it’s an insult to the Turkish people fighting for their democracy. Worse still, the administration is considering lifting sanctions on Turkey and selling them more fighter jets. That is not diplomacy—it is appeasement.

If ever there were a moment for moral clarity, this is it.

This is where true leadership must rise. President Donald Trump, who was no stranger to Erdogan’s games, has a chance to make a decisive statement here—not only about Erdogan’s destruction of Turkish democracy but about America’s role as the champion of liberty.

Trump has the opportunity to distinguish himself from the cowardice of European elites, who for years have allowed Erdogan to extort them with threats of unleashing mass migration. He can draw a clear line: we will not bankroll authoritarianism. We will not reward tyranny. We will not be silent as an ally collapses into dictatorship.

This is not just about Turkey. This is about the future of the democratic world. Erdogan’s playbook—co-opting the courts, weaponizing the law, demonizing the press, jailing political opponents—is becoming an all-too-familiar script across the globe. It must be stopped. It must be named for what it is: lawfare, despotism, and the calculated unraveling of freedom.

We must stand with the people of Turkey who still believe in elections, who still raise their voices in protest, who still hope for something better than Erdogan’s Islamist autocracy.

And to Erdogan himself: history will judge you not as a statesman, but as a destroyer of a republic. A strongman whose strength relied on silencing others. A coward who feared the ballot box.

We, and the free people of Turkey, are not afraid of the truth. And neither should the United States be.