(CLO) If Kamala Harris wins by a narrow margin, what will Donald Trump and his supporters do? Recent developments suggest that the threat of violence could recur in the US election, as it did in 2020.
Mr Trump has repeatedly insisted that he would only lose if Democrats cheated, a move that would make it appear he would consider any win by Ms Harris illegitimate.
Many expect him to try to overturn the Democratic victory he won in 2020, and his supporters may try to help him in some way.
Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that the only way he will lose the election is if the Democrats cheat. Photo: Getty
Washington DC shuts down over fears of violence
Businesses are shuttering in Washington as the US capital prepares for a tense presidential election on Tuesday (November 5), fearing a repeat of the shocking violence that erupted after the 2020 vote.
City authorities have warned of a "volatile, unpredictable security environment" in the days and possibly weeks after polls close, and said they do not expect a winner to be determined on Election Day.
But in this year’s election, there are some new safeguards that make that less likely. Mr. Trump is also not the sitting president and cannot use executive branch powers. Authorities are also better prepared to prevent similar incidents to the Capitol riot in 2021.
Still, if Mr Trump fails to win despite right-wing expectations, the fury of his supporters could be much more intense than in 2020, sparking dangerous and chaotic events.
Fears of crisis if Ms. Harris wins narrowly
Last time in 2020, 74 million people voted for Mr Trump, but very few of them helped him in his legal and procedural efforts to overturn the results.
Pro-Trump protesters, including far-right groups like the Proud Boys, began to show up more frequently in the final months of 2020, in Washington, DC and state capitals.
Then, on December 19, 2020, Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter (now X) that there would be a "Big Rally in DC on January 6th," adding, "Come be there, it will be fun!"
The tweet appears to have mobilized more than 50,000 people, of whom about 10,000 came to the Capitol grounds. Of those, about 2,000 went inside the building.
This time, if Trump continues to claim victory despite the election results, his supporters could blame the Biden administration for stealing the election so that Harris could take power. Elon Musk’s ownership of X could help Trump better spread information about election fraud.
Is American democracy under threat?
Of course, there is still reason to hope that things will not get that bad. Despite many predictions after the attack on the Capitol, that event has not led to a new wave of far-right violence during the Biden years.
Perhaps the American public, including the right, simply isn't engaged or interested in politics, and they won't care much if Mr. Trump whines about the election results.
This month, the Washington Post asked dozens of Trump fans at rallies what they would do if Trump lost. Almost all said they would resign themselves to the outcome.
The risk, however, is that Mr Trump and the most hard-line MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters will push for something different to try to regain power. And if they can convince millions of Mr Trump voters to join them, the threat of a crisis will be very real.
Ngoc Anh (according to Vox)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/moi-lo-khung-hoang-bau-cu-my-neu-ba-harris-thang-sit-sao-post319659.html
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