But in spite of Donald Trump’s best efforts it has not happened here. Changes in norms can in fact lead to changes in law and in democratic institutions-this has happened in many of the countries in eastern Europe and Latin America that have slipped into pseudo-democracy or autocracy. In contrast, democratic institutions are based in law and entail real consequences. Norms are different from laws they are not enforceable and they evolve.
But let’s start by distinguishing between norms and institutions. That is correct he is, at heart, a dictator.
Those who bemoan Trump’s effect on democracy complain that he did not adhere to the established norms of the presidency. Fortunately, we haven’t had many of those in our 200-plus years of history, which is why the Trump presidency sent such shock waves through a large part of the body politic. They designed a system to protect minority points of view and to protect us from leaders inclined to lie, cheat and steal. If leaders were always virtuous there would be no need for checks and balances. Successful democratic systems are not designed for governments composed of ethical men and women who are only interested in the public good. The institutions designed to check autocracy are intact. But while Trump’s four years of rhetoric have been a shock to democratic norms, did they inflict permanent damage on our democracy? My answer is a qualified no. Never before have we had a president who schemed to overturn legitimate election results, who attacked the press and the civil servants who worked for him, who admired dictators, who blatantly profited from his public office and who repeatedly lied to the public for his own selfish purposes.
Did Trump permanently damage American democracy? This question has spawned a veritable cottage industry of hand wringing over the state of American democracy-understandably so.
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