New York Times Editorial: Why America Made a Dangerous Choice

New York Times board editorial

American voters chose to return Donald Trump to the White House, setting the nation on an uncertain course that no one can fully predict.

The founders of this country knew the possibility that voters might one day elect an authoritarian leader and put several safeguards in the Constitution, including vesting powers in the other two branches of government, designed to be checks on a president who it will distort and violate the laws to achieve its own goals. And the founders enacted a number of rights, most importantly the First Amendment, such as the right for citizens to assemble, to speak, and to protest against the words and actions of their leaders.

During the next four years, Americans must be clear about the threats to the nation and its laws from its 47th president and must be prepared to exercise their rights in defense of the country and its people, laws, institutions and values ??that have kept it strong.

It cannot be ignored that millions of Americans voted for a candidate some of his closest supporters admit is deeply flawed — convinced he was more likely to change and fix what they see as pressing problems. of the country: high prices, an influx of immigrants, a permeable southern border, and economic policies that have created deep inequalities in society. Some cast their ballots because of dissatisfaction with the status quo in politics or the state of American institutions more broadly.

However, whatever led these voters to make this decision, all Americans should now be wary of a future Trump administration that is likely to have as its top priority the creation of unchecked power and the punishment of its enemies. , things Mr. Trump has repeatedly vowed to do. All Americans, regardless of party or political affiliation, must insist that the basic pillars of the nation's democracy—including constitutional checks and balances, honest federal prosecutors and judges, an impartial election system, and basic civil rights—are preserved against an attack that Trump has already begun and has said will continue.

At this point, there can be no illusions about who Donald Trump is and how he intends to govern. He showed us in his first term and in the years after leaving office that he has no respect for the law, let alone for the values, norms and traditions of democracy. As he takes charge of the most powerful state in the world, he is clearly motivated only by his thirst for power and the preservation of the cult of the individual he has built around himself. These qualities are now openly revealed, for they are acknowledged not only by his critics, but also by those who served him most closely.

We are a nation that has always emerged from the crossroads, with ideals intact and often stronger and sharper. The institutions of our government, forged by nearly 250 years of strife, turmoil, murder, and war, stood firm when Mr. Trump attacked them four years ago. And Americans know how to stand up to Mr. Trump's worst instincts — actions that were unjust, immoral or illegal — because they did so, over and over again, during his first administration. Civil servants, members of Congress, members of his own party, and the people he appointed to high office often thwarted the former president's plans along with other institutions of our society, including a free press and independent law enforcement agencies. , who showed the responsibilities to the public.

Mr. Trump and his movement have taken over the Republican Party today. However, it is important to remember that Mr. Trump cannot run for another term. From the day he enters the White House, he will be, in effect, a last-term president. The constitution limits him to two terms. Congress has the power — and for some Republicans the ambition — to chart a different course from Mr. Trump's anti-democratic agenda, if he chooses to pursue it.

Governors and legislators across the country have spent months supporting their state laws and constitutions to protect civil rights and liberties, including access to reproductive and gender-affirming health care. Even states that voted overwhelmingly for Mr. Trump, including Kentucky, Ohio and Kansas, have rejected the most extreme positions on abortion. Other institutions of American civil society will play a crucial role in challenging the Trump administration in the courts, in our communities, and in the protests that are sure to return.

Even the rest of the world has no illusions about the leader who will soon represent the United States on the world stage again. The countries of the NATO alliance were shocked, during the first Trump administration, by his willingness to undermine that long and valuable partnership. But European nations, defying Mr. Trump's predictions, not only joined the United States in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but also extended their ranks to the border with Russia.

Për Partinë Demokratike nuk do të mjaftojë aksioni në prapavijë si opozitë politike. Partia gjithashtu duhet të shikojë me kujdes se pse i humbi zgjedhjet. U çua dëm shumë kohë për të kuptuar se Presidenti Biden nuk ishte në gjendje të kandidonte për një mandat të dytë. U çua dëm shumë kohë për të kuptuar se axhenda e tyre progresive po i largonte votuesit, duke përfshirë disa nga mbështetësit më besnikë të partisë së tyre.

Dhe Demokratët kanë pasur vështirësi për tre zgjedhje radhazi që të gjejnë një mesazh bindës që rezonon me amerikanët e të dyja partive, të cilët kanë humbur besimin në sistem. Kjo ka shtyrë votuesit skeptikë drejt një figure më shpërthyese, edhe pse një shumicë e madhe e amerikanëve e pranojnë atë me të gjithë problemet që ka.

Nëse demokratët duan t’i dalin përballë në mënyrë efektive zotit Trump, duhet jo vetëm rezistencë ndaj impulseve të tij më të këqija, por edhe duke ofruar një vizion se çfarë do të bëjnë ata për të përmirësuar jetën e të gjithë amerikanëve dhe për t’iu përgjigjur frikës që kanë njerëzit për drejtimin e vendit dhe si do ta ndryshojnë ata.

Testi për anëtarët e këtij Kongresi të ri do të fillojë menjëherë pasi të bëjnë betimin. Presidenti i zgjedhur ka premtuar se do ta rrethojë veten në mandatin e tij të dytë me njerëz të besuar, të cilët do të jenë të gatshëm të bëjnë gjithçka që ai urdhëron. Por një president ka nevojë që Senati të miratojë shumë prej këtyre emërimeve. Senatorët mund të ndalojnë kandidatët më ekstremë ose të pakualifikuar që të marrin poste në kabinet si sekretari i mbrojtjes dhe prokurori i përgjithshëm, si dhe vendet në Gjykatën e Lartë dhe stolin federal. Ata mund të veprojnë për të refuzuar kandidatët qartësisht të papërshtatshëm nga mbajtja e ndonjë pozicioni të fuqishëm. Senati e bëri këtë në vitin 2020, kur bllokoi përpjekjet e zotit Trump për të vendosur njerëz të pakualifikuar në bordin e Rezervës Federale dhe dhoma nuk duhet të hezitojë ta bëjë këtë përsëri.

Ndoshta përgjegjësia më e rëndësishme qëndron tek të gjithë ata që do të shërbejnë në një administratë të dytë Trump. Ata që ai emëron si prokuror të përgjithshëm, si sekretar të mbrojtjes dhe në role të tjera të larta drejtuese duhet të presin që ai mund t’u kërkojë atyre të kryejnë akte të paligjshme ose të shkelin betimet e tyre ndaj Kushtetutës në emër të tij, siç bëri në mandatin e parë. Ne i nxisim ata të pranojnë se çfarëdo zotimi besnikërie që ai mund të kërkojë, besnikëria e tyre e parë është ndaj vendit të tyre. Qëndrimi përballë zotit Trump është i mundur dhe është detyrë e çdo nëpunësi publik amerikan kur është e përshtatshme.

But the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the continuation of America's enduring values ??rests with its voters. Those who supported Mr. Trump in this election should closely watch his conduct in office to see if it matches their hopes and expectations, and if it doesn't, they should make their disappointment known and cast their ballots. in the second terms of 2026 and 2028 so that the country gets back on course. Those who opposed him should not hesitate to raise the alarm when he abuses his power, and if he tries to use the power of government to retaliate against critics, the world will be watching.

Benjamin Franklin famously gave advice to the American people when he said that the nation was "a republic if you can keep it." The election of Mr. Trump poses a major threat to that republic, but he cannot determine the fate of American democracy forever. That rests in the hands of the American people. And it will be the work of the next four years.