Never has an American election like the one that will take place on Tuesday sent so much chills down our spines, here as elsewhere.
The fear we feel is easily explained. This is the engine that fuels the declarations and actions of Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump. No one knows how far he will go if he unfortunately wins and regains control of the United States. No one knows what they will do if they lose either.
Whatever the outcome of the vote, it will of course have repercussions at home, due to our geographic proximity but also to the fact that the United States is, by far, Canada’s main trading partner.
Even more, the election of Trump will further weaken rights that we thought were acquired, such as the right to abortion. We now know that there are repercussions in the speeches here, on many issues. It’s worrying.
The prerogative of totalitarianism
“If the Republican candidate loses, he will turn public space into a battlefield. If he wins, his presidency will have a taste of revenge,” wrote in Duty Élizabeth Vallet, professor of international studies at CMR-Saint Jean, essayist and director of the geopolitics observatory of the Raoul-Dandurand Chair.
She also reminds us that “fear does not belong to democracy: it is the driving force of authoritarianism and the prerogative of totalitarianism”.
In a strong and feminist speech on Saturday, former first lady Michelle Obama expressed the fear she feels for her country, our children and “what awaits us if we forget the issues of this election.”
Like many observers, half of American voters consider Trump a fascist, according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll. This should have had such a pushback effect that would give a large lead to her Democratic rival, Kamala Harris. This is not the case. That’s really scary too.
