The (First) Indictment of Donald Trump Is a Milestone for American Democracy

Demagogues Like Trump Know How to Overwhelm Democracies — And Not Every Democracy Knows How to Fight Back

Image Credit: WCNC

Happy indictment day!! Right about now, a “debate” is raging. Another one of those fake debates that erupts on the pages on American newspapers, amongst the panelists on cable news shows. The indictment of Donald Trump. The first one, anyways. Good, bad? Let me offer you a few thoughts, as a survivor and scholar of failed states.

The indictment of Donald Trump is a milestone for American democracy. Can a democracy hold its own head of state to account? Does the rule of law matter? Is the abuse of power enough to get away with the abuse of power? Does trying to destroy a democracy…matter?

For all these reasons, and many more — the “debate” above is an entirely fake one. The entire world knows that Trump is a despicable figure, who tried to shatter American democracy, precisely because he’s a textbook demagogue on a ludicrous scale. And if a democracy can’t hold such egregious abuses of power to account…is it even still one?

But can a democracy hold its own demagogues to account? Especially when they’re adept at destroying it? That is the real question here. Not should it. Anyone telling you that democracy shouldn’t hold demagogues who’ve tried to destroy it to account — because it might be “dangerous” — is, let me say it plainly, a f*cking idiot. Because what’s more dangerous, holding fascism to account, or not having a democracy?

Context matters. And in this particular case, context is everything. During the Trump years, something that many thought could never happen did happen to America. It became a failing democracy. Not my opinion — a fact of political science. It was during those years that America was downgraded from a “robust democracy” to a “flawed” one. It plummeted down the rankings swiftly, precisely because Trump and his minions began to abuse their power and eat away at the inner workings of democracy.

Is that a crime? Well, it depends. It was a high crime — we already know that, because Trump was impeached not once but twice. In the political sense, Trump’s already met the bar of high crimes. What hasn’t happened yet is that Trump’s been convicted of everyday crimes, the ones our justice system, not Congress itself, tries. And in a sense, that’s a higher bar, because, well, if you have the money and power a Trump does — a former President — then of course concealing those alleged crimes becomes that much easier. With, for example, hush money.