Donald Trump is a clear and present danger

With the race for the White House formally beginning with the Iowa caucuses this week, America stands at a political precipice.

The November contest appears headed for a rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Most voters are uninspired by either candidate, but the choice is clear: Will voters choose democracy or a demagogue?

The stakes are high and the risks are great. America barely survived one Trump term. Another four years could do irrevocable damage.

Despite a chaotic first term that ended with an insurrection and four criminal indictments, Trump still has a hold on the majority of Republican voters. After eight years of driving the daily news cycle, Trump’s corrosive words and deeds have almost become normalized.

Trump spews so many reckless lies, threats, and hate that his norm-busting outrages often get lost or forgotten in the fire hose of information and misinformation coming at voters. Some people find Trump entertaining, while others like that he is crass and cruel. But voters — especially those tuned out or turned off to politics — must grasp the full import of a second Trump presidency.

That’s why The Inquirer Editorial Board plans to spend the next 10 months sounding the alarm that Trump remains a danger to our democracy. We plan to detail Trump’s many flaws and misdeeds while spelling out the risks of a second term, which the twice-impeached former president has made clear will be worse than his first four years.

Put simply, Trump is unfit for office.

While President Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, may not be the optimal choice for many voters, this election is bigger than the traditional policy differences between the two likely candidates. This is about the kind of country we are going to live in and pass on to future generations.

Indeed, the choice is stark.

Will we side with the better angels of our nature, or elect a reckless tyrant seeking “retribution”?

Will we elect a president who upholds the Constitution, or one who has suggested terminating it?

Will we elect a president who believes in the peaceful transfer of power, or one who fomented a deadly insurrection?

Will we elect a president who believes in the rule of law, or one who has been criminally indicted an unprecedented four times and is campaigning while out on bail?

Will we elect a president who works with U.S. allies, or one who wants to leave NATO and is inexplicably enamored with war criminal Vladimir Putin?

Will we elect a president who confronts income inequality, or one who kowtows to the ultrarich?

Will we elect a president who acknowledges racial inequality, or one with a long history of racism?

Will we elect a president who appointed a record number of women to his cabinet, or a philanderer who bragged about grabbing women by their genitals, paid off an adult film star, and was found guilty of raping a woman?

Will we elect a president who is supported by the military, or one who insulted dead soldiers, called top generals “losers,” and suggested executing former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley?

Will we elect a president who aims to combat climate change, or one who views the existential threat to our planet as a hoax?

Will we elect a president who reads the daily intelligence briefings, or one who spent much of his time in office watching TV or golfing?

Will we elect a president who pays his taxes, or one who engaged in shady schemes to dodge taxes for years and whose company was convicted of tax fraud?

Will we elect a president who supports an independent attorney general, or one who would direct the U.S. Justice Department to investigate his enemies?

Will we elect a president who supports workers, or one whose policies hurt them?

Will we elect a president who understands he is not above the law, or one who brags about being a dictator?

Will we elect a president who is decent and honorable, or a narcissistic bully who invokes the rhetoric of some of history’s most malicious figures?

Trump’s many character flaws are disturbing and divisive. More alarming is how so many Republican officials, religious leaders, and voters continue to support and enable him.

A Biden-Trump rematch will likely depend on turnout among Democrats, independents, and swing voters in a handful of states — including Pennsylvania. With the future of American democracy on the line, understanding Trump as a clear and present danger is paramount.