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Opinion: A Second Trump Term Will Be Disastrous for America

Joshua Song

The 2024 US election is fast approaching and it is evident that the race between Former President Trump and Vice President Harris is neck and neck.. However, if more people were aware and educated of the faults and effects Trump has had on the American(and global) political landscape, this election would be an easy landslide in favor of Vice President Harris. This election is no longer about conservative vs. liberal, pro-life vs. pro-choice, or pro-union vs. anti-union. This election has transcended the basic black-and-white politics and has become a fight for the survival of democracy. Moreover, it is evident through Trump’s clear intention to dismantle the democratic system, his constant pandering to conspiratorial sects of the far-right, and his genuine incompetence that a second Trump presidency will be a disaster.  


Trump will dismantle the democratic system


The fact that Trump is a threat to democracy is far from an ambiguous, shrouded aspect of his character and policy, it is quite obvious. Through his actions on January 6th, 2021, his constant questioning and distrust of the American democratic structure have made it clear that he is completely content with undermining the constitution for his personal gain. Even before the 2020 election loss, Trump had constantly made comments about how the institution is rigged. In 2016, two weeks before election day, Trump made a comment on Twitter saying, “Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day…” On top of this, before 2016 he called the Republican primary a rigged institution after he lost all 34 delegates of the Colorado convention to Ted Cruz. This constant doubting of the electoral system and the refusal to concede defeat were always a part of Trump’s campaign even before the January 6th attacks on the Capitol. When Trump actually did lose the election through the democratic process, he instigated his supporters to attack the US Capitol, essentially attempting a coup to stop the ratification of the election. 

-Trump alleging voter fraud just weeks before election day on twitter.

Trump stirs right-wing conspiracies.


Trump’s entrance into politics brought a whole new area of American culture into politics: conspiracy theories. The Republican National Convention used to be the gold standard for the conservative movement in America; however, through the MAGA movement, the RNC has now invited conspiracy theorists within its walls. The fact that a man like Charlie Kirk, leader of Turning Point USA, a movement that is often criticized for being toxic and rife with underlying racism, was allowed to speak at the RNC shows the extent to which conspiracy has infiltrated the Republican party. The far right-wing was often not taken seriously by mainstream conservatives; in fact, many former Republicans such as Mitt Romney or John McCain often made an effort to distance themselves from this extremist aspect of conservatism.  A responsible political class would not cater to lies and conspiracies, instead, they would try to inform these people and not make conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones relevant in the political landscape. Trump, on the other hand, has done the exact opposite of this. Furthermore, Trump has planted doubts about the reliability of journalism and has undermined the basic foundation of the Fourth Estate. This only encourages more of the population to turn to conspiracies for their news. What troubles many is that supporters of the MAGA “cult” seemingly are unable to distinguish a newspaper article from The Washington Post that has undergone the rigorous journalistic process from conspiratorial nonsense. This is the result of the damage Trump has done to journalism and now many simply do not believe even the most mainstream of news services to be credible. 

Charlie Kirk making an appearance at the 2024 RNC(source USA Today)

Trump’s glaring incompetence 


Currently, over ten former Trump staffers have denounced him, including former Chief of Staff John Kelly who has repeatedly said if elected, Trump would be like a dictator. Even Trump’s former running mate, Mike Pence, has refused to endorse Trump. It speaks volumes that many of those who were Trump’s closest advisors have either thrown their support for Kamala Harris or simply have refused to endorse him. These White House officials were closest with Trump and witnessed firsthand the true chaos and ineptitude of his administration. In the first Trump Administration, these were the people who were doing damage control inside the White House and trying to get sensible legislation through. However, if Trump were to get reelected, he would no longer have traditional conservatives or politicians in his cabinet. Instead, he will fill the White House with yes-men who will agree with anything Trump says or does. This is already happening within the Republican party, as many high-level Republicans are being replaced with MAGA-type politicians; JD Vance’s vice presidential nomination is a prime example of this. Furthermore, Trump simply lies. Many of his campaigning points are simply untrue and exaggerated. He often mentions high inflation as a point of debate, yet inflation has been on a steady decline since 2022. 


A second Trump administration will be a disaster for American democracy, as Trump’s complete disregard for the US Constitution, lack of qualifications, and continuous polarization of American politics have already demonstrated. This period of time where Trump has risen as the head of the conservative movement has wasted much of America’s potential. If Trump is reelected then this downward spiral will only continue. Trump's presence as a political figure has only pitted Americans against each other and has eliminated the last vestiges of civility and respect. In contrast, Harris spearheads a united front committed to a healthy democracy. Even for those who don’t align with liberal policies or progressivism, it’s clear that America can withstand a liberal presidency, even another conservative presidency, but another Trump presidency poses a far greater risk to the foundations of American democracy.

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