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Few things had I waited as long as avoiding writing a single word about Donald Trump during my remaining time on earth. If things go wrong now, when his time in the White House is up, he may instead have taken up nearly a tenth of a normal human life.
Yes, it is easy to take Donald Trump as a personal insult. The electoral vigil during the night until Wednesday followed for many the same scenario as in 2016, but with the disturbing clarity of one. Already seen. The emotional shock was replaced by a kind of inner death. “Exciting” was the word used in the electoral vigils of the media. “Exciting”? Perhaps for those who like to undergo life-changing surgery without having the benefit of sleeping in the meantime.
The Swedish night it ended with a staging of a coup. The President of the United States declared victory even though not all the votes had been counted. “This is a fraud, a shame on our country,” he said in a velvety voice. “A fraud against the American people.” And: “Honestly, we won the election.”
It was, and is, a serious moment in the history of global democracy. Will American society clear the authoritarian lure of chaos, which has already been brewing for four years? Was it a starting shot for the riots? For a new civil war?
Donald Trump is Donald Trump. He did not run for president. He ran for totalitarian leadership
Many gave in appearance expresses amazement and dismay. Why didn’t the president look more like a statesman? Why didn’t you show the will to unite the country? Or at least pretend that you mean well?
The simple answer is that Donald Trump is Donald Trump. He did not run for president. He ran for totalitarian leadership.
As in the 2016 elections, it is historians and authors who have followed developments in Eastern Europe who have seen the warning signs most clearly. Authoritarian leaders, they have pointed out, mean it. The fascist features of Trump’s theory and practice have been there for all to see. And given that Donald Trump has said throughout the election campaign that he will say what he just said, there is little reason to be surprised. What matters most is preparation. “Disposition is everything,” Hamlet said, facing the blow of his day.
In a way, the surprise is on Trump’s uniform election result and human totalitarian discourse. We desperately want to believe in the best. In 2016, many believed that Trump would be “tamed” by the office, close his Twitter account and join the ranks of ordinary presidents. Today he would lose a lot and then carry out a peaceful and orderly transfer of power.
It is now being decided whether US institutions and the judiciary will tolerate his attempts to overthrow democracy. This is a pivotal moment, not just for the United States but for the rest of the world.
Given that Donald Trump has said throughout the election campaign that he will say what he just said, there is little reason to be surprised.
Today we don’t know how the election ends or who will be the next president of the United States. But earlier this week, 80 researchers warned in a Washington Post article that democracy in the world is currently crumbling or completely collapsing, and that it is about more than just Donald Trump. Whether you call Trump a post-fascist populist, an autocrat, or an opportunistic tyrant, the tendencies he advocates are bigger than he is. Threats to democracy existed in the world before Trump and will remain even when all votes are counted in America.
There is a time for all. There is a time for analysis of opinion polls, populism, Latino voters, the corona pandemic, and the American electoral system, and there is a time for determination, additional work, and support for the institutions of democracy. liberal.
But after the night of November 4, 2020, there must also be time for a feeling of total hopelessness and dark as night. For now, Donald Trump is the leader our world deserves.
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