So far, the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election has
not been pretty. Despite every national news outlet calling the election for
Biden, Trump has been obstinate in his refusal to acknowledge the loss. From
tweeting out misleading claims about the election being a Trump victory to
suing state administrations for voter fraud, Trump’s rhetoric has cast doubts
on the integrity of the electoral system for a growing population of Americans.
Many Republican senators appear to be in support of Trump. Although few have
attacked the election to the extent that Trump has, most Republicans remain
unwilling to admit that the election is over.
Beyond spreading misinformation and forcing recounts, Trump
has also been impeding Biden’s transition to power in other ways. It is a
common belief that successful democracies require educated citizens. By that
standard, the Trump administration has dealt a devastating blow to American
democracy. However, educated leaders are even more important than educated
citizens. So far, Trump has refused to grant President-Elect Biden access to
the intelligence briefings that all Presidents-Elect are entitled to. When he
takes office, Biden will have to lead America through one of its most troubled
periods in history. In order to carry out his duties, he must stay informed and
up to date on the political agenda’s most pressing issues. By denying Biden
access to critical information, Trump is significantly lowering Biden’s ability
to do his job come January.
Though Republicans are by and large still supporting Trump,
it appears that this issue has started to move some of them. As of Thursday,
November 12, 12 Republican senators have declared that Biden should be able to
attend intelligence briefings. Despite their clear partisanship in refusing to
call the vote, it seems that ultimately, lawmakers still have running the
country as their first priority.
The same cannot be said for the current President. Since
last week, when President-Elect Biden announced the formation of his COVID-19
Advisory Board and promising studies showed that a COVID-19 vaccine developed
by Pfizer was over 90% effective, Trump has shown no signs of cooperating with
his successor on a plan to eradicate the pandemic. In fact, he has ordered his government
not to coordinate with the incoming administration, refusing to share
information and funding. In a situation where millions of lives are at stake, the
conclusion that President Trump’s actions amount to political sabotage is
starting to look more and more reasonable.
In an era where amicable transitions of power have been the
norm, Trump’s conduct is a clear deviation. Throughout his presidential term,
he has tested the limits of American democracy, and this transition is no
different. However, the way that Trump’s Republican supporters are slowly
shifting away from him bodes well for the future of American politics. Biden’s
administration will hopefully be a return to normalcy.
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6 comments:
It is actually unbelievable that our current president decides to deny his loss in the presidential election. I think you were spot on when you said that Trump's recent actions are "testing the limits of democracy. I am hopeful, but not positive, that Trump will finally come to his senses and acknowledge that he has lost the race. Until he announces his loss, I feel that some conflict may occur come January if he does not stand down his act.
Trump's actions can only be described as a form of sabotage to the wellbeing of our country. His continuous refusal to comply and begin the transition only shows how unfit he is to be guiding our country any longer. When Trump acts out in this way, it hurts not only America's image but also our people, who need these vaccines as soon as possible. I hope that the Trump administration comes to its senses like some of the Republicans already have so they can accept this election loss and move on with their lives. When he had previously claimed that the elections were rigged and that he would sue the states he lost in, I had hoped that his foolery would have ended there. Sadly, he has continued to deny the fact that Biden will take office. To end on a positive note, at least they have found a vaccine with such high effectiveness already!
I think that Trump's behavior is completely inappropriate, for a person in such a high position to act like this shows his character and his intentions. Just because you lost doesn't mean that you can self destruct and bring the rest of the country with you. There's more to an election than winning and that is what Trump is making this about. Just because he didn't win, hes throwing a fit and trying to hurt the country just in time for Biden to come in and make an attempt to fix what Trump is currently breaking. He has refused to accept defeat and this is just hurting everyone. By accusing states of election fraud makes him look bad and this is all just in a downward spiral towards a lack of guidance. Though he lost, he should be happy with what he has achieved and move on to let the people choice achieve his goals.
I don't like how president trump has refused to allow Biden to go to intelligence briefings but I think how democrats responded to President Trump's election was equally as bad. Trump was allowed to attend intelligence briefings but he was investigated from day 1 about Russian collusion that never amounted to anything significant. Honestly, I only think this sort of behavior is going to escalate in future presidencies. Whenever either democrats or republicans exploit power by breaking traditions both sides continue to exploit this kind of behavior. One example of this is filibustering in the senate. An initial thing created by an accident is now a common delay tactic just because democrats and republicans love to mess with the party in power.
I disagree with Zion's comment because Trump was impeached for collusion with Ukraine and in a report by the Senate Intelligence Committee, there was evidence that the Trump campaign was in cahoots with Russia. The sitting president has the right to be scrutinized, but this lack of cooperation on Trump's end is ridiculous. Thinking back to the 2016 election, the Obama's handled their transfer of power with such grace. Despite being badmouthed to hell and back by the Trumps, they opened the White House to them with civility and respect. Michelle Obama showed Melania the ropes of being first lady, and Barack advised Trump. Many criticized them for not being more vocal about Trump's stupidity, but they respected the process and reinforced faith in democracy. In direct contrast, Trump's temper tantrums are furthering the steep divide in America and destroying faith in our system. Refusing to share intel with Biden is doing more to hurt the American people than it's doing to hurt Biden. This is a great indication of where Trumps loyalties lie aka with his narcissistic self.
To put it simply, Trump is a narcissist. And I'd find it remarkable for anyone to deny that, no matter if that person supports him or not. He favors his ego over his words, spreading any information to the public that will make him seem as amazing as possible. This being said, it's not surprising he has been unable to admit his loss. In fact, I don't think he believes in the slightest that he could have possibly been out-beat by Biden. While we all agree him searching for "the truth" is a lost cause, I think it's important we turn our attention to Biden, the U.S.'s President-Elect, and focus on ways we will come together during the next four years. There's no point dividing ourselves over a person soon to be out of office. I hope the American people can come together after all of this is over (as over as it can be), and re-build the nation we preach as being democratic and united.
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