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Democratic arguments that Donald Trump represents a threat to American democracy appears to be the one criticism that the former president considers intolerable. In fact, the Republican has claimed without evidence that this Democratic talking point — which is rooted in fact — might very well have contributed to the recent assassination attempt.
But if the GOP candidate doesn’t want to be seen as a threat to American democracy, he probably ought to stop taking public stances that make it seem as he’s a threat to American democracy. The New York Times reported:
In the closing minutes of his speech to a gathering of religious conservatives on Friday night, former President Donald J. Trump told Christians that if they voted him into office in November, they would never need to vote again.
This might sound hyperbolic. It’s not.
“Christians, get out and vote — just this time,” the Republican said at the Turning Point USA Believers Summit. “You won’t have to do it anymore! Four more years, you know what? It’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine, you won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.”
For good measure, he went on say, “In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not going to have to vote.”
To be sure, the former president has made similar comments in the very recent past. Just last week, for example, Trump told a far-right audience, “In four years you don’t have to vote, ok? In four years don’t vote, I don’t care.”
But his remarks from late Friday were even less subtle — and even more unsettling.
If we’re being charitable, there is a potentially benign interpretation of the candidate’s comments, though even this is far from reassuring. Perhaps Trump meant that, at the end of his prospective second term, his far-right vision will be so entrenched in the American system that it will be effectively election-proof.
MAGA world will endure for the indefinite future, the argument goes, so whether the Republican’s followers vote or not in 2028 will be irrelevant — because there will be nothing Democrats can do to reverse what’s been done.
The less charitable interpretation is that Trump envisions a future without elections. Or as Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman put it, “The only way ‘you won’t have to vote anymore’ is if Donald Trump becomes a dictator.”
The New York congressman’s choice of words was especially notable given that Trump has repeatedly raised the prospect of creating what he’s pitched as a temporary American “dictatorship.”
The former president has also talked about “terminating” parts of the Constitution that stand in the way of his ambitions, rejecting election results he doesn’t like, creating militarized camps, issuing pardons for politically aligned criminals, strengthening his friendships with foreign authoritarians he holds in high regard, pursuing mass firings of federal bureaucrats who are deemed insufficiently loyal to Trump’s ideological ambitions, and arguing that his rivals shouldn't be "allowed" to run against him.
On ABC News’ “This Week,” Martha Raddatz asked Gov. Chris Sununu — a former critic of the former president who’s now a cheerleader for his party’s ticket — about the former president’s “won’t have to vote anymore” comments. The New Hampshire Republican chuckled before responding, “I think that was a classic Trumpism.”
Perhaps. But isn’t that precisely the problem?