Donald Trump’s election crusade an unprecedented threat to democracy in the United States

American institutions have stood firm in the face of threats from President Donald Trump, who continues to refuse to admit defeat in last month’s election. But America’s considerably disrupted democracy may take time to recover.

Even before election day, November 3, the Republican billionaire already assured that the elections would be “rigged”, a complaint he reiterates whenever he can, despite the clear victory of the democrat Joe Biden in the votes (seven million ahead) and in the electoral system (306-232).

“We are at a time when the legitimacy of our institutions is called into question like never beforeexcept perhaps during the Civil War ”(1861-1865), explains David Farber, professor of history at the University of Kansas.

Citing “massive fraud” but without providing evidence, Trump and his allies have filed around 50 complaints across the country and put pressure on the authorities.

Judges – including those of the Supreme Court – and local officials, including Republicans, they did not yield, and members of the Electoral College will meet in each state on Monday to register their votes.

“Americans can be proud of it,” Farber said.

However, the presidential speech convinced part of the population: a third of Americans believe Biden owes his victory to fraud, a figure that rises to 77% among Trump voters, according to a Monmouth University poll.

“This type of poison can really infiltrate a democracy and delegitimize the traditional way in which politics develop in this country,” said historian Farber, who warns of a “danger” to democracy.

Auspicious field

Trump’s claims flourished against a backdrop, says Wendy Schiller, a professor of political science at Brown University.

Due to the pandemic, people are no longer having discussions in places of worship, work or parties. They consume even more media content, but choose those who support their opinions, like the small pro-Trump Newsmax and OAN channels.

“There is no room for counterpoint”, explains Schiller.

“In fact, today you can choose your reality by choosing which channels to watch and which sites to visit. (…) It is not very good for democracy, because it solidifies opinions, ”explains Thomas Holbrook, professor of public policy at the University of Wisconsin.

By remaining silent or embracing the president’s theories, Republicans in Congress have further heightened the doubts of conservative voters.

“No one will stand up to contradict him”says Michael Nelson, political scientist at Rhodes College. “They are afraid to anger their constituents.”

In this context, Biden should find “strong resistance during the first six months or the first year “of his presidency, predicts Wendy Schiller.

For the expert, this tension will decrease when the population is vaccinated against covid-19, the economy will rebound and people realize that “Trump is gone”.

But for Nelson, the worry “is not so much what will happen next year”, but “whether it continues to happen in the next 10 years or in the next presidential elections”.

“We could slowly start to see how democracy is eroded “, he warns.

Holbrook shares this concern, noting that “some people think the election was stolen.”

This could lead at a higher tolerance level towards “marginal groups” like militias, he explained.

Thirteen members of a Michigan militia were arrested in October for conspiring to kidnap Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and last weekend in the same state, armed protesters staged a protest outside the home of a electoral officer.

In a video of the scene, posted online, one of the protesters vows to “keep fighting to return the election to President” Trump. “This is just the start,” he warns.

Source: AFP

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