Our democracy is made up of powers and counter-powers which are supposed to balance each other and protect our rights.
When a politician, here or elsewhere, makes a big mistake, says stupid things, lies to the public or violates a code of ethics, there is accountability to the population. Whether via a municipal council table, the media, a court or before an ethics committee.
And in the worst case scenario, if the guilty politician manages to get away with it after dodging all the counter-powers, we can say that in the end, it is the people who will have the last word when it comes time to put his ballot in the box. In the end, we rely on the wisdom of the people.
Creepy
That’s what’s terrifying about Trump.
He was impeached, lied a lot, participated in an attempted insurrection of the Capitol… He made misogynistic, racist remarks, and so on. He was convicted of criminal offenses. A former military adviser called him a “fascist,” which is no small accusation. He challenged just about every institution and every premise of democracy.
All this did not prevent him from rising — democratically! — at the head of the Republican Party.
And in the end, the last counter-power, the one that should have prevented him from becoming president of the largest democracy in the world, did not work either. The people, who are supposed to have the last word, elected him. And not just a little: with a majority stronger than ever, in full knowledge of the facts.
The ultimate counter-power in a democracy is the choice of voters. He has failed spectacularly here to block the path to power for a man who resembles, in many ways, an authoritarian despot in the making. Supreme irony: some of his supporters even see him as the savior of democracy!
I read everywhere that many people voted for Trump while holding their noses. By telling himself that despite all his faults, he remained the best candidate to revive the American economy. He would be the strongman needed to lead the world’s greatest military power in a world rife with war and uncertainty. I understand all of this. But one thing doesn’t sink in with me: the United States is home to 334 million people, the vast majority of whom are intelligent and honest people. And it’s a bully like Donald Trump who is elected president?
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In Canada
Much has been said about the consequences that Trump’s election will have in Canada. The imposition of tariffs will affect our economy. The largest deportation in US history promised by Trump should also be felt by an influx of refugees at our borders.
What worries me most is that the Trump poison is distilling into our Canadian democracy. Politicians like Pierre Poilievre are unabashedly inspired by the populist policies that made Trump successful. The polarization that has spread to the United States and several European countries is gaining ground in Canada.
I take as witness this surreal interview with the mayor of Louiseville, Yvon Deshaies, great fan of Trump. “A guy like Trump in Canada, I would like that as prime minister. I would be for him. It’s certain that he would have my support,” he confided to a colleague from News writer from Trois-Rivières.
The mayor of Louiseville doesn’t agree with Trump on everything. But he would vote for him with his eyes closed. “Unless he is caught one day for having raped or killed someone,” he takes care to specify. Ah, still! You reassure me, Mr. Mayor…
When reminded that Donald Trump was found guilty in civil court of sexual assault against a writer and is accused of sexual assault against a former model, Mayor Deshaies does not lose an ounce of enthusiasm.
“There’s a lot of chatter about it,” he said. Do I believe in it 100%? No. There were many ladies around him, the lives of the rich and famous. Did he sleep with women? Yes. But to force them? I doubt that.”
Trump has normalized outrage and bullshit in political discourse.
He sows doubt on the courts and democratic institutions with a lot of sophisms and false equivalences. Social media is responsible for spreading his twisted message endlessly.
The Trump virus no longer knows borders.
