American Democracy Is in Crisis

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In the roughly 21 months since he took the oath of office, President Donald Trump has sunk far below the already-low bar he set for himself in his ugly campaign. As I see it, there are five main fronts of this assault on our democracy. First, there is Donald Trump’s assault on the rule of law. Second, the legitimacy of our elections is in doubt. Third, the president is waging war on truth and reason. Lesley Stahl, the 60 Minutes reporter, asked Trump during his campaign why he’s always attacking the press. He said, “I do it to discredit you all and demean you all, so when you write negative stories about me, no one will believe you.” When we can’t trust what we hear from our leaders, experts, and news sources, we lose our ability to hold people to account, solve problems, comprehend threats, judge progress, and communicate effectively with one another—all of which are crucial to a functioning democracy. Fourth, there’s Trump’s breathtaking corruption. Fifth, Trump undermines the national unity that makes democracy possible. Every generation has to fight for it, has to push us closer to that more perfect union. That time has come again.

[Hillary Rodham Clinton is a former senator from New York and served as the 67th US secretary of state]


American Democracy Is in Crisis