Fears Surrounding the American Election

In exactly 10 days on Nov. 3, the battle for the American presidency will conclude amid widespread global interest. With respect to various political and social impacts, there is not a single country or people in the world that is untouched by what is happening in America.

Without elaborating, people are interested because America is the largest and strongest country in the world. There is no region, group or village in the world that is exempt from American conflict, its influence, interests, the impact it has and its intervention in the specific international affairs of most countries of the world.

Nevertheless, there is more interest in the presidential election this year than ever before.

There are many reasons for this.

People have been paying significant attention to Donald Trump and the frequency, magnitude and intensity of America’s various interventions in different regions. This harkens back to America’s ambition for increased influence and control. The depth of controversy in American society including racism, the rise of violence, and civil and human rights is also noteworthy. Not to mention the spread of COVID-19 and its heavy toll of sick, hospitalized and dead Americans … as well as Trump’s personality and the trail of controversy which command attention and continue to raise fear.

American elections often give rise to controversies like these. But the mantra that America is the one country which is able to maintain control and ensure stability does not hold up well when fear about security rears its ugly head.

The major headline which has served as a smoke signal for fear about national security is that Trump may not accept the election results if he loses.

The president has publicly and directly made this claim on more than one occasion. When Trump became aware (or was made aware) of how crude these remarks were and the negative reactions they generated, he then glossed over them but did not change their substance or meaning. In doing so, Trump’s sounded a little something like this:

• He will concede the presidency to the winner of the election;

• He wants a fair election; and

• Voting by mail will not guarantee a fair election.

But this ship has sailed. Mail-in ballots have been approved, and millions of voters have already exercised their right to vote using this option.

We can also add to the list of issues engendering fear Trump’s insistence on confirming a Supreme Court justice just weeks before the election. It is an unusual process that is raising questions about whether this is related to taking precautions if Trump loses the election. The nominated justice is in almost complete agreement with Trump intellectually, politically and socially. Consider this in the context of recent remarks by a high-ranking Trump administration security official who warned about foreign interference that would hurt Trump in the election.

It’s almost as if Trump is deferring any excitement over his base or the prospect a smooth victory in the election. If Trump’s base ends up supporting his opponent, Trump may prefer to avoid the attending fear and trouble that will cause.

When we consider all of these factors together, fear over personal security in the event of a landslide loss for Trump become a highly contentious subject worthy of serious thought. Trump’s failure to accept the election results, refusal to hand over the reins of the presidency to a successor or agree to making an exit all combine into a single fear.

No one hopes that this fear will come to pass in the United States. No one wants to go down that path, no one has the ability to see where it will lead, or how to quickly they will be able to put an end to it.

The hope of the average American citizen remains fastened to the rules of democracy and its established traditions. Americans have confidence in their constitutional foundations, the guarantee of free and democratic elections with results that everyone willingly accepts, and the notion of a predictable tomorrow.