The Art of the Steal: American Democracy under Stress
Since the 2020 presidential election on November 3, Trump repeatedly claimed election fraud to explain his defeat. Election officials, both Republicans and Democrats, throughout the United States maintained that the election was secure and fair. Trump launched numerous lawsuits in various states in an attempt to overturn the election results. Attorneys and legal analysts from all political persuasions characterized the lawsuits as frivolous and without legal merit.
After numerous lawsuits by Trump’s legal team were dismissed by the courts, Trump continued to attempt to invalidate the decision of voters in Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Nevada in a demented effort to retain power. The results of the 2020 presidential were clear. Biden won the popular vote by over seven million votes and in the process flipped five states (Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, and Georgia) that voted for Trump in the 2016 election to secure the electoral college victory. The ability of citizens to vote to elect their leaders is an essential component of American democracy. America’s democracy was threatened by Trump’s brazen rhetoric and dubious actions to sow chaos and challenge the legitimacy of the presidential election. If Trump was able to hold on to presidential power, there was fear that he would never leave office despite the constitutional limits of two presidential terms.
Trump’s niece, Mary Trump, as well as a host of journalists and legal professionals suggested that one potential motivation for Trump to overturn the election was to avoid criminal indictment, imprisonment, and financial ruin for alleged crimes including obstruction of justice, campaign finance fraud as well as bank, insurance, and tax fraud.
Updated January 13, 2020
