Trump’s conviction is a disaster for American democracy

Lee Cohen I 31 May 2024 I The Spectator World

Biden’s America has shamefully crossed the Rubicon

Donald Trump’s trial and his conviction on 34 felony counts is disgraceful. As the legal expert and former Harvard Law professor, Alan Dershowitz, has argued, ‘the judge essentially instructed the jury to convict Trump.’

Biden’s America has shamefully crossed the Rubicon. The rule of law has been supplanted by the whims of elites and the machinery of power. The verdict of the jury in New York City, finding Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a hush-money trial, calls into urgent question the integrity of the American legal system and the sanctity of democratic norms.

The perception of selective justice is only going to undermine the legitimacy of the legal system and fuel cynicism and anxiety

This courtroom drama has significance far beyond this one legal proceeding. It has become a battleground where the very ideals and institutions of American democracy have been violently shaken. Partisanship and selective justice have been marshalled by Democrats who fear more than anything else Trump’s return to the White House. For many Americans, what appears to be a manipulation of our democratic institutions, most notably the justice system, is leading to an existential collapse in trust.

It is deeply unhealthy for a democracy to treat its political candidates in this way. If Democrats want to get rid of Trump, they should focus on beating him at the ballot box in November. Instead, they are attempting to use the legal system to decide the election on their behalf. Does anyone believe that Trump would have faced these charges if he was not running for president?

The answer to that question is deeply corrosive to American democracy. Those who held a steadfast belief in the greatness of our system of government and the sanctity of our democratic processes are seeing their faith in the country eroded. For many Trump supporters, this trial represents a watershed moment where trust in the republic has been shattered. The perception of selective justice, with Trump being held to a different standard than his political counterparts, is only going to undermine the legitimacy of the legal system and fuel cynicism and anxiety. Many voters will see through what is going on.

The manipulation of the legal process has laid bare a system rigged in favor of powerful interests. The trial is less about truth and justice, and more about power and vindication.

Internationally, the trial sends a chilling message about the state of democracy and justice in America. To international observers, it will seem like America has become the kind of tinpot democracy where former political leaders are persecuted via the legal system once they leave office. Many around the world will see America as a broken system, rife with corruption and partisanship, and this will only tarnish the country’s image on the world stage.

The trial of former President Donald Trump is more than just a legal catastrophe –?it is a symbol?of the shambolic state of American democracy. The issues at stake?–?partisanship, manipulation of the legal process, and the collapse of trust in national institutions –?are caused by systemic problems that require urgent attention.

As for Trump himself, he could be sentenced to as many as four years behind bars. But even that will not stop him from running and serving as president if he wins later this year. Indeed, the US Constitution does not prohibit a convicted felon, including a former president, from running for office or serving as president. It could well be that this trial backfires for those seeking to defeat Trump. Many Americans will be stirred by his current plight, and this attempt by his ruthless opponents to vanquish him.

Author: Lee Cohen