{"id":5128,"date":"2020-12-05T06:21:01","date_gmt":"2020-12-05T16:21:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/?p=5128"},"modified":"2021-01-09T06:16:48","modified_gmt":"2021-01-09T16:16:48","slug":"is-trump-moving-towards-an-authoritarian-direction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/2020\/12\/05\/is-trump-moving-towards-an-authoritarian-direction\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Trump Moving Towards an Authoritarian Direction?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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by Elpidio R. Estioko<\/em>

Despite election results showing former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden as the president-elect in which he won the popular votes with more than 3 million votes and counting; won the electoral votes with 306 against Trump\u2019s 232, U.S. President Trump is still hanging on to the presidency and is not conceding the election.

In fact, Trump started telling audiences that the system was \u201crigged\u201d back when he was losing the election and threatened not to accept the outcome if he lost, which he is now doing.

Is he moving towards an authoritarian direction, a \u201cdictator\u201d in a democratic society?

According to the editor of Diggers: \u201cDictators often rise to power out of conflict or a coup d\u2019\u00e9tat. However, there have been dictators who got into power democratically or legally. Adolf Hitler, for example, was appointed chancellor, or head of government, by President Paul von Hindenburg in 1933. After Hindenburg died, Hitler made himself \u201cF\u00fc\u00adhrer\u201d (a combination of president and chancellor).\u201d

In the case of Trump, he was elected president in 2016 and within the four years that he was president, he has shown some qualities of dictatorship in most of his tweets and actions in governing the country. In managing the country, he employed MBI (management by instinct) instead of MBO (management by objective). In most cases, he is thinking of his own interest (I, me and myself doctrine) instead of the citizens, just like how he mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic, which is known to be seven times more deadly than pneumonia. In his government functions, he is using his hotels as venues, so he is earning revenues at the expense of taxpayers\u2019 money.

The editor of Diggers asked: \u201cHow can you tell if your President is a dictator?\u201d

First, he said that \u201cDictators foster cults of personality, a form of hero worship in which the masses are fed propaganda declaring their leader to be flawless and divine.\u201d I agree with the author because the GOP revolves around Trump. People around him glorify him and defend him even if they know that he is wrong, lying and advancing conspiracy theories. They find a way to justify his actions and are afraid of how he will retaliate if they will not follow him. His famous phrase in television \u201cYou\u2019re fired!\u201d takes shape in his executive function by firing cabinet members and other key officials if they do not follow him or go against him. The latest was when he fired his defense secretary and the election officer who went against his theory that the election is rigged.

Second, the editor wrote: \u201cPolitical power is concentrated in the hands of few people or just one person.\u201d The political power rests in Trump\u2019s hands\u2026 sometimes encroaching on legislative and judicial processes. He wields power in the GOP-controlled Senate and tries to woe the Supreme Court appointing conservatives where he now has three appointees.

Another author, Stephen M. Walt said on Nov. 23, 2016, \u201cJust because the United States is a democracy now, it doesn\u2019t mean it will stay that way\u2026 But if you live in the United States, what you should really<\/em> worry about is the threat that Trump may pose to America\u2019s constitutional order. His lengthy business career suggests he is a vindictive man who will go to extreme lengths to punish his opponents and will break a promise in a heartbeat and without remorse. The 2016 campaign confirmed that he has little respect for existing norms and rules \u2013 he refused to release his tax returns, lied repeatedly, claimed the electoral and political systems were \u201crigged\u201d against him, threatened to jail his opponent if he won, among other such violations \u2013 and revealed his deep contempt for both his opponents and supporters. Nor does he regret any of the revolting things he did or said during the campaign, because, as he told the Wall Street Journal <\/em>afterward, \u201cI won.\u201d For Trump, just like any dictator, it seems, \u201cthe ends really do justify the means.\u201d

Walt offered some warning signs that American democracy is at risk. His first warning sign is Trump\u2019s \u201cSystematic efforts to intimidate the media.” Trump, Walt said, \u201csailed to the presidency on a The Top of lies and exaggerations, and there is no reason to think he will discover a new commitment to the truth as president. The American people cannot properly judge his performance without accurate and independent information, and that is where a free and adversarial press is indispensable. If the Trump administration begins to enact policies designed to restrict freedom of the press, or just intimidate media organizations from offering critical coverage, it will be a huge (or if you prefer, yuge<\/em>) warning sign.\u201d

In Trump\u2019s ideal world, Walt said: \u201cAmericans would get their news from some combination of Breitbart<\/em>, Fox News, and the president\u2019s own Twitter feed, which would keep the public bamboozled and go a long way toward insulating him from the consequences of his own mistakes. Congress would probably refuse to fund a public broadcaster that was reliably in Trump\u2019s pocket, but if it did, look out.\u201d

The second is \u201cStacking the Supreme Court.\u201d Again, Walt commented: \u201cTrump will likely get the opportunity to appoint several Supreme Court justices, and the choices he makes will be revealing. Does he pick people who are personally loyal and beholden to him or opt for jurors with independent standing and stellar qualifications? Does he pick people whose views on hot-button issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and campaign financing comport with his party\u2019s, or does he go for people who have an established view on the expansiveness of executive power and are more likely to look the other way if he takes some of the other steps I\u2019ve already mentioned? And if it is the latter, would the Senate find the spine to say no?\u201d to date, Trump has already three justices he appointed in the Supreme Court.

\u201cThe bottom line,\u201d Walt commented, \u201cI am by no means predicting the collapse of democracy in the United States under a President Donald J. Trump. What I am saying is that it is not impossible, and there are some clear warning signs to watch out for. Now, as always, the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Or to use a more modern formulation: If you see something, say something.\u201d

Is Trump moving towards an authoritarian direction? Your guess is as good as mine!

ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO<\/strong> was a veteran journalist in the Philippines and an award-winning journalist here in the US. For feedbacks, comments\u2026 please email the author at estiokoelpidio@gmail.com.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Elpidio R. Estioko Despite election results showing former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5093,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/asiseeit.jpg?fit=1314%2C948&ssl=1",1314,948,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/asiseeit.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/asiseeit.jpg?fit=300%2C216&ssl=1",300,216,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/asiseeit.jpg?fit=640%2C462&ssl=1",640,462,true],"large":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/asiseeit.jpg?fit=640%2C462&ssl=1",640,462,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/asiseeit.jpg?fit=1314%2C948&ssl=1",1314,948,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/asiseeit.jpg?fit=1314%2C948&ssl=1",1314,948,true],"ultp_layout_landscape_large":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/asiseeit.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1",1200,800,true],"ultp_layout_landscape":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/asiseeit.jpg?resize=870%2C570&ssl=1",870,570,true],"ultp_layout_portrait":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/asiseeit.jpg?resize=600%2C900&ssl=1",600,900,true],"ultp_layout_square":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/asiseeit.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1",600,600,true],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/asiseeit.jpg?resize=1115%2C715&ssl=1",1115,715,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/asiseeit.jpg?resize=522%2C500&ssl=1",522,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/asiseeit.jpg?fit=1024%2C739&ssl=1",1024,739,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/asiseeit.jpg?resize=540%2C285&ssl=1",540,285,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/asiseeit.jpg?resize=375%2C250&ssl=1",375,250,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"As I See It<\/a>","tag_info":"As I See It","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/asiseeit.jpg?fit=1314%2C948&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5128"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5128"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5129,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5128\/revisions\/5129"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}