End of the game for Donald Trump
EDITORIAL. The Trump page will be hard to turn, as the incumbent president's capacity for nuisance is not to be ignored. It's time for the Republican Party to do some soul searching
There is something pathetic about observing Donald Trump in total denial, clinging to power, refusing the results of the ballot box, talking about "theft" of ballots, "rigged" elections and "massive fraud" without providing the slightest proof. and disturbing, not to say frankly ubuesque. By seeking to discredit the electoral process, the outgoing president once again demonstrates his contempt for democratic institutions. He seeks to steal the victory of Joe Biden announced on Saturday, and helps, with his narrative, to fuel the conspiratorial backwater that is seething and to feed the anger of extremist groups. It is both dangerous and irresponsible.
Don't let yourself be blinded by the chaos
The proclamation of the final results, because of the legal actions launched by those close to the president, could still take days, at worst weeks. But let us not let ourselves be blinded by this chaotic situation, nor by the acts of violence that could occur. Joe Biden has won well, as the US media reported on Saturday, he's going to end four years of turmoil, and Donald Trump, like it or not, is on track to officially become the first outgoing president since. 1992 not to be re-elected. A hell of a slap in the face for someone who pretends to be invincible.
A titanic task
Of course, Joe Biden's task will be titanic and complex. America is deeply divided. Of course, Donald Trump's capacity for nuisance is still very much present and it should not be underestimated. Thanks to a record turnout, the Republican garnered more votes than in 2016 - more than 69.8 million Americans voted for him -, consolidated his electoral base and even increased his popularity among minorities, a aspect that one would be wrong to ignore. He will also reign until January 20, 2021 and may well be animated by a spirit of revenge.
It is in this difficult context that Joe Biden will have to get the United States back on track, a country bruised by the excesses of an erratic president and weakened by the dramatic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. He will have to give pledges to his opponents and govern with the Republicans. In this curious atmosphere of the end of his reign, Donald Trump appears more and more isolated. Even among his relatives, Republicans tired of his lies and his strategy of disinformation let go of him, denounce his inflammatory remarks, dissociate themselves from his accusations of "generalized fraud". This embarrassment could have been expressed earlier.
It is time for the Grand Old Party, transformed by Donald Trump, to do its soul-searching and become a respectable party again. Only at this price can we truly say that Donald Trump and his excesses will have been a parenthesis of history.
