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American democracy was not born in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, or the first elections. But by the time George Washington, the first president, relinquished power in 1797. Under the law at the time, he could have added a third to his two terms, and some urged him to continue. But Washington preferred to let others take the stage.
Such resignation was revolutionary at the time. In Europe, many powerful ruled for life. In the United States, on the other hand, the most powerful man practiced resignation and thus set an example: it is part of democracy that power is transitory, that it is only borrowed. At some point the powerful have to go; at the latest when the electorate so wishes. Officials in the United States have always observed this principle as if it were a divine commandment.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, on the other hand, cannot do it because he believes that he himself is the one who issues the divine commandments. Therefore, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, he insists that it is won the elections. His constant assault on institutions and rules now culminates in the logical effort to usurp power longer. George Washington’s 44th successor is organizing what seemed impossible in this country: an attempted coup from above.
Of course, one can expect Trump to pack his things on time in the end – as with his other major projects, this one could also fail due to sloppy implementation. Perhaps Trump just wants to create a victim myth to fuel his next career as leader of the opposition. And at least, eventually, more and more friends of the party are opposing him, including electoral and parliamentary officials. Or judges who dismiss Trump’s miserably founded complaints. So one could dismiss Trump’s rebellion against defeat as what it is in a Netflix series. end of season it would be: the captivating, but also the last chapter of a crazy show.
Trump provides autocrats around the world with a soft coup script
Yet none of this changes the fact that America’s most powerful man is currently sabotaging the world’s oldest democracy with some success. And it provides autocrats around the world with a script for the soft hit. He is harassing election officials, firing contradictory experts, and mounting a disinformation campaign from the White House that is likely to impress even the Kremlin. More than half of Republicans are now convinced that Trump’s election victory was stolen. Several party spokesmen are silent or suspicious, which Trump never proves, but repeats more frequently.
Even if Trump resigns in time, the damage will be enormous. A large section of the population is likely to consider incoming President Joe Biden illegitimate; under the expected cheers of Trump, an armed resistance could even form.
All of this is scary on the one hand, but it is also the logical consequence of the increasingly poisoned political climate in the United States on the other. On both sides, supporters of the other party are seen as irresponsible or even insane and, in essence, even unpatriotic. Refusing to commit to the other party leads to success for both parties. And the worldview of each field is permanently confirmed by radio and television broadcasts that are biased and even unrelated to reality.
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The rise of Trump has to do with the sentiment of many Republicans that Democrats are elitist and condescending, and the country is beset by countless threats that a strongman must face. The right-wing propaganda station Fox News has fueled this impression for years and has gone independent through the Internet. That is why millions of voters continue to vote for Trump and believe him when he is deceived: their trust in him is greater than in the facts or in the functionality of the electoral system.
Even if there are enough reasonable, law-abiding Republicans to show Trump the door in the end: Trump’s coup attempt already has an urgent warning ready for all supporters of democracy. If even states as stable as the United States come close to autocratic, that can happen anywhere. The defenses of a constitutional state are not always enough to get rid of unscrupulous leaders. Especially not when different camps can no longer agree on a common truth or factual situation.
George Washington left after eight years, showing his country the way. Today things are more complicated: even if Trump leaves the White House in time, the resentment and hatred he spread will remain. As of now, the doubts and contempt of his followers no longer apply only to the political opponent, but possibly even to democracy itself.
