Donald Trump and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
After a grueling four days of uncertainty, extensive mental breakdowns on Twitter, and nerve-wracking anticipation, former Vice President Joe Biden was officially declared the 46th president-elect of the United States on November 7th. Citizen reactions to the verdict were predictably varied, from New Yorkers filling the streets with cheers of celebration to passionate protests outside vote-counting centers across the country.
Arguably the most relevant response was that of the incumbent President Donald Trump, who appears to be unprepared to give up his executive powers come January 20th. His refusal to give a concession speech is one obvious indication of such denial, as well as the many lawsuits he continues to unsuccessfully pursue.
Despite having little to no reliable evidence of ballot-stuffing or tampering by Democrats tampering, the Trump administration and much of the GOP in Congress have ostensibly decided to cast doubt upon the validity of the election results. Not surprisingly, Trump utilized Twitter to speak to his supporters—on November 7th and in the weeks following—claiming that widespread voter fraud had occurred in swing states like Georgia, Michigan, and Arizona, all three of which swung blue on Election Day. So far, there have only been a handful of prominent Republican figures who have come out publicly to acknowledge Biden’s win, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Marco Rubio of Florida being two notable examples.
To some critics, Trump’s unprecedented reaction is a major concern, threatening the core tenets of the Constitution. After all, the legitimacy of the United States government comes from its status as a representative democracy being indirectly governed by the people and for the people. Having lost both the popular and electoral vote, by principle it should be time for President Trump to gracefully step down. Others believe the lack of substantial Republican backlash against Trump’s unhinged behavior to be more worrisome, especially in light of Joe Biden’s plans to oversee bipartisan progress throughout his presidency. Will the GOP cooperate in a post-Trump era?
In reality, Trump’s impact on American democracy is complicated. “Democracy is not a binary concept. Democratic erosion happens in steps as norms and institutional checks on the power of the government weaken,” Brendan Nyhan, a political science professor at Dartmouth, notes. More likely than not, this transition of power will be a peaceful one, but this comfort will not always be guaranteed.
by ATHENA LI