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Donald Trump is convinced that the presidential election was false. The proof: he lost. Of course, this result cannot have been legally produced. Therefore, all ballots with “Joseph R. Biden” marked must be “illegal.” And how can Trump be suddenly behind Biden in some states when 97 or 99 percent of the votes have been counted? When you were only counting 30 or 31 percent, you were way ahead. Fraud, conspiracy, theft of victory!
All of this could be ridiculous. Trump obviously has no idea how elections work in the United States and how ballots are counted. He acts like a furious four-year-old whose father hasn’t bought a candy bar at the supermarket. But because Trump is president of the United States and (at least legally) of legal age, he can go to court against this bottomless pettiness.
So far, however, the justices to whom Trump’s people presented their alleged evidence of alleged voter fraud have not been very impressed. What was presented to them was raw material, rumors, angry tweets disguised as legal reports. Individual ballots may not be valid. When 160 million people vote, mistakes happen. But there is not a single sign of a major fraud that worries prosecutors and courts and calls into question the legitimacy of the election result.
Cult of Personality, Fear, and Electoral Tactics: A Toxic Mix for Truth
That doesn’t worry the president. Soon, very soon, we will reveal the shocking truth, the Trump camp rings every day in a flood of emails sent to all followers. Really.
But the situation is too dangerous to laugh at. Trump can think what he wants, which in the end will not prevent him from losing the presidency and having to leave the White House. But it is no longer just the president who spreads the lie about the stolen elections. A considerable number of Republicans are participating. If I wanted to take up the example already mentioned, the situation would be like this: it is not just a four-year-old who complains at the cash register because he does not receive chocolate. Instead, half of the shop’s customers fall to the ground with him and howl.
Why? Some Republicans actually believe what Trump says about the stolen victory because they believe everything Trump says. Other Republicans know that the president is lying, of course, but they dare not contradict those lies. Or they have an eye on the Georgia Senate election in January and want to turn the anger of Trump supporters into votes there. However: cult of personality, fear and electoral tactics; the truth is that it is always a very toxic mixture.
This poison, if not stopped, will seep deeper and deeper into American society in the coming weeks. It will continue to degrade the already fragile fabric that holds this society together. 70 million people voted for Trump, and the president is now convincing them that Joe Biden misled not only him, but also them. Any Republican who promotes or condones this lie undermines confidence in the American election. This is how democracies die.
