Donald Trump’s Self-Destruction

Published in Le Devoir
(Canada) on 21 October 2016
by Guy Taillefer (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Marie-Bernadette Reyes. Edited by Helaine Schweitzer.
In 1801, President John Adams, George Washington’s successor, lost the presidential election and relinquished his power to the winner, Thomas Jefferson, thus initiating very early in the history of the young democracy the tradition of respect for the election results and the peaceful transfer of power. This was the foundation of American electoral democracy that Donald Trump saw fit to attack once again, on Wednesday evening in Las Vegas, by refusing to say whether he will accept the outcome of the Nov. 8 election — which Hillary Clinton will probably win.

At the end of the evening, his spin doctors pushed the matter further on media websites and defended their candidate’s derogatory remarks, untruthfully asserting that following the 2000 election barely won by George W. Bush, Democrat Al Gore had done no differently when the imbroglio erupted concerning the results in the state of Florida.

We eagerly await Nov. 8, so we can be done with this circus.

One manipulation leading to another, the ambiguity that Trump maintains concerning the recognition of the ballot results is induced by the accusations of “rigged elections” that he has made for weeks — which, we must remember, ignores the well-documented fact that in terms of “rigged elections,” Republicans have long been the best at employing minority voter suppression tactics.

The man continued, during this third and final debate, to show signs of self-destruction — all while managing to win approximately 40 percent of potential voters, which is truly frightening. In fact, for all the outcry provoked by his recent declarations, it turns out that they aren’t considered sacrilegious by the Americans who support him tooth and nail. On the contrary, his challenge to the legitimacy of the electoral process is moving in the direction of the charge that he leads against the establishment and an incorrigibly two-sided political sphere.

Clinton was very clever on Wednesday, failing to be transparent. She danced quite well around the questions about WikiLeaks and the Clinton Foundation. She continued to sail toward the presidency.

Defeated, Trump will end up returning to his land of reality television. But the campaign will have left its mark, indubitably. Of what, then, will Clinton’s presidency consist? Between the ideologies of Trump and Bernie Sanders, one must hope that in actions and not only in words, she will make the effort to take on a national project that is a bit less responsive to the appetites of lobbies and the elite — and a little more to the needs of the people.


En 1801, le président John Adams, successeur de George Washington, perd la présidentielle et remet le pouvoir au vainqueur, Thomas Jefferson, inaugurant ainsi, très tôt dans l’histoire de la jeune démocratie, la tradition du respect du résultat des urnes et du « transfert pacifique du pouvoir ». C’est à ce fondement de la démocratie électorale américaine que Donald Trump a jugé utile de s’attaquer à nouveau en refusant mercredi soir, à Las Vegas, de dire s’il acceptera l’issue de l’élection du 8 novembre prochain — qu’Hillary Clinton remportera probablement.

En fin de soirée, sur les tribunes médiatiques, ses spins doctors poussaient le bouchon plus loin et défendaient les propos sacrilèges de leur candidat en affirmant mensongèrement qu’à l’élection de 2000, mal gagnée par George W. Bush, le démocrate Al Gore n’avait pas fait autrement quand l’imbroglio autour des résultats dans l’État de la Floride avait éclaté…

Vivement le 8 novembre qu’on en finisse avec ce cirque.

Une manipulation en attirant une autre, l’ambiguïté que M. Trump entretient autour de la reconnaissance des résultats du scrutin est induite par les accusations d’« élections truquées » qu’il lance depuis quelques semaines. Ce qui revient à faire l’impasse, faut-il le rappeler, sur le fait très bien documenté qu’en matière d’« élections truquées », les républicains sont depuis longtemps passés maîtres en tactiques de suppression du vote des minorités.

L’homme a continué pendant ce troisième et dernier débat de donner des signes d’autodestruction — tout en parvenant toujours à recueillir environ 40 % des intentions de vote, ce qui est proprement paniquant. En fait, pour tous les hauts cris provoqués par ses plus récentes déclarations, il se trouve qu’elles ne sont pas sacrilèges pour les Américains qui le soutiennent bec et ongles. Au contraire puisque sa contestation de la légitimité du processus électoral va dans le sens de la charge qu’il mène contre l’establishment et un monde politique incorrigiblement bicéphale.

Mme Clinton a été fort habile mercredi, à défaut d’être transparente. Elle a drôlement bien pirouetté autour des questions sur WikiLeaks et la Fondation Clinton. Elle a continué de voguer vers la présidence.

Vaincu, M. Trump finira par rentrer dans ses contrées télé-réelles. Mais la campagne aura laissé des traces, indubitablement. De quoi sera donc faite la présidence de Mme Clinton ? Entre M. Trump et Bernie Sanders, il faut espérer qu’en gestes et non seulement en paroles, elle fera l’effort de porter un projet national qui soit un peu moins sensible aux appétits des lobbys et des élites ; et un peu plus aux besoins des gens.
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