Nancy benac
11/06/2020 9:55
Clarín.com
World
Updated 11/06/2020 9:55 AM
It was both
shocking
and completely
to be expected.
As the United States held its collective breath and awaited the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, President Donald Trump took the podium at the White House on Thursday and made a full frontal attempt to undermine the integrity of the vote, which was leaning toward the address of Democrat Joe Biden.
The president had spent months laying the groundwork for that moment.
He
had
repeatedly
questioned the validity
of the vote-by-mail ballots.
He had removed election officials from Democratic states and cities as political stunts.
And he had demanded in advance that the results be known
on election day
, which is never a fact.
All of this has been circulating around the conservative echo chamber
for months
.
And it contradicts the truth about
how
elections are
conducted
in the United States, where voter fraud is extremely
rare
.
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But while Trump's tirade was in line with his past misstatements about the U.S. elections, it was still a milestone to hear the president of the United States analyze so thoroughly the conduct of an American election in real time, prompting
a new anxiety
about the prospects for a peaceful transition of power.
"In his darkest day, Richard Nixon
would never have attacked democracy
the way Donald Trump has done now," John Dean, who served as Nixon's attorney at the White House, told the AP.
“Faced with the potential to lose, Trump
has embarrassed himself
and spoiled the US presidency.
God save us when I really lose. "
How far will the president take things
And that was the real question going forward: How far will Trump take things if the election ends in his defeat?
And how many of the millions of Americans who voted for him
will accept his false narrative
of a stolen election?
The president warned the nation in advance that it might not end well, telling reporters at noon on Election Day:
"Losing is never easy, not for me it is not."
Historian Michael Beschloss framed this as
a moment of truth
not just for Trump but for other prominent officials, suggesting that history would frown on those who look the other way.
"One of the worst things any president could do
is lie
and exacerbate deep national differences to further his own selfish interest," Beschloss tweeted just after Trump completed his statement.
"Always remember who aided and instigated this abuse of presidential power, and
those who tried to stop it,
" he continued, highlighting Vice President Mike Pence's claim that he supports the president and wants "every LEGAL vote" to be counted.
Democrats spoke out against Trump in chorus, led by Biden, who emphatically tweeted after the president's performance: “No one is going to take away our democracy.
Not now, not never ".
No one is going to take our democracy away from us.
Not now, not ever.
America has come too far, fought too many battles, and endured too much to let that happen.
- Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 6, 2020
Some of the usual suspects spoke from the Republican side.
"There is no defense for the president's comments tonight that undermine our Democratic process," said Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, a frequent critic of Trump.
"The United States is counting the votes and we must respect the results as we have always done."
Former Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, another Trump detractor, placed the onus on his fellow Republicans to do the same.
“No Republican should agree with the president's statements at this time.
Unacceptable
.
Period, ”he tweeted.
But there was
a notable silence
from many in the president's party after his last speech, including Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell.
Whether that dynamic will continue, whether more comprehensive election results hand over the presidency to Biden,
is another
key unanswered
question
.
If Trump loses his grip on power, that could lessen the incentive for Republicans to continue their sometimes awkward embrace of a president whose provocative pronouncements have often left them twisted.
Donald Trump speaks on Thursday night about the elections in the United States.
Photo: AFP
Allan Lichtman, a history professor at the American University, said previous presidential candidates who lost the election
accepted their fate with dignity
and respect for American democracy.
He signaled
Nixon's resignation
after Republican colleagues told him he would be charged and convicted.
He said Democrat Al Gore delivered a courageous speech after the Supreme Court ruled that his career in limbo would go to George W. Bush.
He called Nixon a "pragmatist" and Trump
a "selfish."
There is always the possibility that Trump
will stop at some point
and consider the weight of his words and the impact on his legacy.
If the vote count goes against you, do you really want to be remembered as the president who
set the building on fire
as he
walked
out the door?
Nancy Benac is a White House news editor and has covered Government and Politics for The Associated Press for four decades.
ap
Look also
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Joe Biden responded to Donald Trump: "No one is going to take away democracy, now or never"