US President Donald Trump’s actions since being reelected for his second term have exposed the underbelly of American democracy. It is an irony for a nation that has not only lectured the world on democracy and sought to impose its understanding of human rights on others in various ways, should have its severe systemic deficiencies exposed in the way they are in the present. There is no way, for instance, in any other democratic country that the leader can exploit his or her powers in the self-serving manner Trump is doing in the US. On the contrary, even a whiff of irregularity in an elected politician’s functioning leads often to resignations or dismissals.
The US prides itself on upholding the right to free speech, but this is the most endangered right in that country today. The arm-twisting by regulatory bodies of broadcasting companies at the behest of Trump has led to the cancellation of late-night shows of popular telecasters like Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, with more in the firing line. Inconvenient questions asked by journalists prompt not just rude responses, but also personal threats to have them dismissed from their jobs. All this while Trump is shamelessly exploiting his position to enrich his business enterprises to the extent of even tweaking his foreign policy if required.
How come there are no checks and balances, in the way there are in other countries? Even the courts, right up to the Supreme Court, are in the grip of political ideologies. The deeply federal constitutional structure has many contradictions, making it difficult for the system to stand up to such dictatorial functioning. It is only during elections to the Congress and the Senate that some correctives can be applied. However, the strategy adopted by Trump and his MAGA supporters of deep polarisation based on a threatened White Supremacist ideology may continue to ensure electoral victories. It helps that the ‘liberal’ opposition imposed such an extreme culture of ‘Wokeism’ that even the moderates have come to prefer traditional conservative values. And Trump feels no shame in exploiting it all for personal benefit.
Can the US rise above these contradictions? It already faces an increasing crisis due to its commitment to gun-ownership. This internal problem is impacting on its foreign policy, creating distortions in the power-structure worldwide. And surrounded as he is by sycophants, there is no one willing to speak the truth to Trump. Will it possibly lead to an irreversible decline in the global influence of the United States? The possibility has never been higher.
