Can The Justice System Rescue America's Democracy From Trump?

Trump's unchecked power, Supreme Court immunity, and GOP fear risk transforming American democracy into autocracy. Justice system must respond urgently.

- JOHN DOBSON

During her failed presidential campaign last year, the hapless Vice President Kamala Harris, who unexpectedly found herself the Democratic presidential candidate following President Joe Biden's bumbling departure, made a number of dire warnings about the threats Donald Trump posed to America's democracy. Repeatedly, she denounced Trump as a "wannabe dictator obsessed with revenge" seeking unchecked power. "Moderating guardrails," she warned, "would be removed in a second Trump presidency and he would run riot". How prescient were these remarks, borne out by recent events.

In many ways, Donald Trump is following the classic playbook for authoritarians. Autocrats hate having people around them who know what they are doing. Incompetent sycophants are just perfect, especially if they're arrogant, ignorant and extremely loyal, characteristics of the majority of Trump's current team. The Donald is only willing and prepared to listen to those who continually praise him and tell him exactly how right he is, every time about everything. Cabinet meetings have become worship sessions. Trump has long said that the biggest mistake he made during his first term was hiring what he considered to be the wrong sort of people, in other words experienced advisors who were expert in their field. Now being a Trump loyalist is far more important than being experienced or even intelligent.