“Something dangerous is happening in America right now. There is an extremist movement that does not share the core beliefs of our democracy: the MAGA movement […]. He doesn’t hide his attacks. He openly promotes this – attacking the free press as an enemy of the people, attacking the rule of law as an obstacle, and fomenting voter suppression and electoral subversion. »
Posted at 5:00 am.
As the crucial election campaign approaches, President Joe Biden is stepping up his warnings about the dangers facing American democracy. He made the statement in Tempe, Arizona, paying tribute to the late Republican Senator John McCain.
PHOTO AMANDA SABGA, Portal ARCHIVE
Donald Trump shouts to the crowd after speaking at a rally in New Hampshire last month.
The MAGA movement is the rallying cry that Donald Trump has used since 2016: Make America Great Again. This movement is very much alive, as polls show, giving the former president a clear lead in winning the Republican Party primaries.
What concerns me about the support Donald Trump is receiving is that it has many of the characteristics of a cult.
Bruce Strokes, visiting fellow at the German Marshall Fund and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, an American think tank
In a presentation he gave during a webinar organized by the Canadian Global Affairs Institute in early September, Mr. Strokes noted that, according to a survey, 71% of Donald Trump supporters say they have more trust in the ex-president than in their religious beliefs Guide conducted by CBS. “They also trust Trump more than their friends and family. This is pretty close to what you would find in a cult. Furthermore, Trump has managed to convince his supporters that an attack on him is an attack on them. »
With about a year to go before the presidential election, political stars are preparing for what we’ll witness a rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. All polls published in recent months show that the fight promises to be very close.
Among other things, the question remains open as to whether Donald Trump will be barred from a third election campaign by the courts. Citizens in two states – Colorado and Minnesota – have taken legal action to declare him ineligible because of his role in the attack on the Capitol. Both lawsuits invoke Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states that a person who has taken an oath to defend the fundamental laws of the land is ineligible for “participation in insurrection or rebellion” against state officials can be. The chances of success of these approaches are still difficult to estimate.
A vulnerable president
According to former Georgia Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss, who served in the Senate from 2003 to 2015, four factors will influence voters’ decisions during the presidential campaign: the economy, national security and crime rates in major cities. Migrants at the U.S. border and Mexico and the health of the outgoing president.
PHOTO JONATHAN ERNST, Portal ARCHIVE
Joe Biden addressed the nation last month from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.
In an interview with La Presse, he argued that President Biden is vulnerable on several fronts. Mr. Chambliss represented a state in Congress that played a key role in Joe Biden’s victory in 2020. Changing demographics caused Georgia, a Republican stronghold, to become a swing state in the last election.
“We are about [un an] of choice. In politics it’s an eternity. Many events can occur between now and November 2024. But the economy remains the most important issue. As in other democracies, people in America tend to vote on issues that affect their wallets. Our economy is still struggling even after the COVID crisis. Overall, Biden’s policies have not moved the economy in a direction that could be favorable for his administration next year.
The migration crisis south of the border has “exploded” and the Biden administration has long “turned a blind eye” to the issue, said Mr. Chambliss, who also served four terms in the House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003. and remains involved in the intelligence community.
The president has also made some missteps that may be related to his health. I trust health experts. But it is also part of people’s thinking.
Saxby Chambliss, former Republican senator from Georgia
The financial and military support that the US has given Ukraine so far is anything but unanimous among the political class and the population. “The conflict in Ukraine divides Americans. Should the US continue its current efforts or should we leave this conflict to the Europeans? “We are not the sheriff of the planet, even if we are the most powerful country in the world militarily,” he emphasized.
PHOTO ELIZABETH FRANTZ, Portal ARCHIVE
The House of Representatives in Washington, shortly after the election of its new president, Republican Mike Johnson
The former senator emphasizes that the next elections will be very close, as presidential elections have been since the end of the Ronald Reagan era. “Our country is very divided,” he said, emphasizing that a victory for Donald Trump could hardly be ruled out. “I believe that the Biden administration will have difficulty convincing the majority of voters due to the prevailing issues we are currently facing. Additionally, the Trump administration’s policies have been very good for our economy. People remember that. »
Regardless of the outcome of the presidential campaign, he stressed that relations between Canada and the United States “will remain strong.”