It’s time to take Trump seriously, figuratively, and literally – Business Insider – Business Insider

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"Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself," the late John Lewis. He left the New York Times a posthumous essay to be published the day of his funeral.

Andy Kiersz/Business Insider Sourc: US Bureau of Economic Analysis

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It's time to take Trump seriously, figuratively, and literally

This morning President Trump tweeted about delaying the election due to the pandemic.

Twitter

In April Trump's rival, Vice President Joe Biden, predicted the President might try to delay the election if his poll numbers looked bad, and they look hideous.

Twitter

Remember that this is a pandemic that spun out of control largely because of a lack of federal response. Trump only put on a mask himself a few weeks ago. The White House could create the conditions for safe elections by competently handling this crisis, but it won't. That's why we're here.

Trump works by gut instinct, and he has never let his ignorance of how the US government works or the limits of presidential power stop him from trampling on the rights of others. (See: His multiple attempts at passing a travel ban on Muslim countries.) The fact that he can't change the date of the election won't stop him from knocking on every door, or trying to open any window he can, into victory.

We already have evidence that Trump will stop at nothing to improve his chances for reelection. Two weeks ago he tried to get Republicans to defund coronavirus testing in Congress' upcoming pandemic relief bill to make infection numbers look better for him.

If you think someone who is willing to do that won't try to hinder the democratic process, I have a gold-plated, Trump-branded bridge to sell you. And I don't just mean Trump will try messing with vote counts, I mean he will be messing with our faith in the outcome of this election and the process of democracy itself. That's the bare minimum of what he will do.

It is in this man's inherent nature to use all of his power unfortunately, the power of the presidency for his own power's sake. That is exactly how Henry Wallace, Vice President of this country from 1941 to 1945, described American fascists.

"A fascist is one whose lust for money or power is combined with such an intensity of intolerance toward those of other races, parties, classes, religions, cultures, regions or nations as to make him ruthless in his use of deceit or violence to attain his ends. The supreme god of a fascist, to which his ends are directed, may be money or power; may be a race or a class; may be a military, clique or an economic group; or may be a culture, religion, or a political party."

Be vigilant. Take Donald Trump seriously, literally, figuratively. He is a desperate demagogue limited only by what we the people will abide. Linette Lopez

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Mandel Ngan/Pool via AP Now we know what Jeff Bezos' worried face looks like

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