Sri Lanka, Feb. 4 -- Human Rights Watch warned on Wednesday (Feb 4) that President Donald Trump was turning the United States into an authoritarian state as democracy declines globally to its lowest ebb in four decades.

Trump's return to the White House has intensified a "downward spiral" on human rights that was already under pressure from Russia and China, the New York-based advocacy and research group said in its annual report.

"The rules-based international order is being crushed," HRW said.

In the United States, the group said, Trump has shown "blatant disregard for human rights and egregious violations".

In descriptions that would have been unthinkable in the US section of its previous annual reports, the group pointed to the de...