FLASH
Shkruar nga Iker Seisdedos
Donald Trump is systematically undermining the foundations of democracy...
The icon of the American left warns that Donald Trump's second term is systematically undermining the foundations of democracy, usurping the powers of Congress and using a handful of billionaires to control the media and the economy, while the working class remains abandoned amid the housing and healthcare crises.
It's been a little over 12 months since Trump returned to the White House and 10 years since the extravagant campaign in which Bernie Sanders could have been the candidate to face him in an election that, like few others, marked a turning point in US history.
Two elections and another Trump victory later, Sanders still retains his aura as an icon of the global left. He is now 84 years old; he first served in Congress from 1991 to 2007 and has just begun his fourth six-year term as a senator from Vermont. He has hinted that this term will be his last.
A few weeks ago, Trump marked one year since his return to power. How would you describe those 12 months, which have sometimes seemed like an eternity?
Trump is perhaps the most dangerous president in American history. We are the longest-standing democracy in the world, dating back to the 1770s, when Americans overthrew the British Empire to create their own country, with a strong Constitution and a strong Declaration of Independence.
Unfortunately for us, Donald Trump is an authoritarian leader. He is an oligarch whose vision of the future is that a small number of extremely wealthy people are getting richer and leading the United States into an authoritarian society. We are very alarmed by what Trump is doing domestically and by America's presence internationally. Many of us are doing our best to oppose him, and I think we are succeeding, in the sense that Trump's popularity is falling every day.
If there is one thing that has defined his second term to date, it is the determination to expand executive power, but it seems that the legislature has not been able to protect itself sufficiently...
You are absolutely right. What Trump has done is undermine our democracy and our Constitution. Trump has attempted to usurp the powers of Congress. In an unprecedented move, he has said that states that voted against him will not receive federal funds. This is outrageous and illegal.
He is attacking the courts, picking and choosing which decisions to obey. He is going after universities that offer courses he doesn't like, and he is attacking the media with threats and lawsuits, convincing his billionaire friends to buy them. Larry Ellison now has considerable power over TikTok and has bought Paramount, which owns CBS. So a handful of oligarchs control America's media, the economy, and, because of our corrupt campaign finance system, our political processes.
Is the system you describe prepared for another three years of Trump?
I hope so. Republicans control the House of Representatives by a narrow majority. They also control the Senate. I hope that in the midterm elections, the Democrats regain control of Congress.
If the election were held today, I believe that would happen. And there is a slim chance that the Democrats would win the Senate as well. If that happens, then we will be able to stop a lot of what Trump is doing.
What should be at the top of the Democrats' agenda the day after the election, if they regain control of Congress? Do you agree with impeaching the president?
I haven't discussed it yet, but what I do know is that impeachment won't succeed, because it requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate. People need to regain faith in democracy, and that won't happen if the government isn't working for them.
In the United States, when 66 percent of the population barely makes ends meet, when millions of people have modest wages, when people can't afford healthcare, education, or housing, we need to show the American people that we can do things for them with a strong pro-working class agenda.
It seems that what they call the American experiment is a building with weak foundations, which was not designed for the arrival of someone like Trump. What major reforms would be needed?
We have never seen a president before who has shown such contempt for the rule of law. You cannot have a democratic society where you do not obey the law. There are very strong differences between the left and the right, but no one has ever questioned the results of the election.
Trump is changing the rules of the game. But his opponents are working hard to prevent this, including through legal means. The courts are doing the right thing in protecting the Constitution. But in the end, it is the American people who must say “No” to authoritarianism in this country.
Looking at the revelations from the Epstein files, it feels like you are peering into the closed-door dealings of that oligarchy you criticize. They acted with impunity and have yet to suffer any consequences. Why is this happening?
Së pari, është i neveritshëm shfrytëzimi i vajzave të reja nga Epstein dhe miqtë e tij. Së dyti, ky skandal tregon se nëse je i pasur dhe i fuqishëm, jeton në një botë tjetër dhe luan sipas një sërë rregullash të ndryshme. Nëse fëmija yt vjedh një dyqan, ai përfundon në burg.
Por nëse je miliarder dhe u bën gjëra të tmerrshme fëmijëve...kjo është një histori tjetër. Rasti Epstein është një provë e mëtejshme e fuqisë së jashtëzakonshme të klasës së miliarderëve në jetën politike. Dhe s’ka rëndësi nëse je liberal apo konservator, demokrat apo republikan. E-mailet e tij tregojnë se në ato sfera të pushtetit, kjo nuk ka rëndësi.
A keni ndonjë këshillë kundër ankthit të shkaktuar nga lajmet që vijnë çdo ditë nga Uashingtoni?
Unë dua t’i siguroj evropianët që të jenë të qetë. Është e vërtetë që Trump ka një numër shumë të madh ndjekësish. Besoj se 30 për qind e popullit amerikan ka një mendësi autoritare dhe i pëlqen ideja e një udhëheqësi të fortë. Evropa e njeh mirë këtë dukuri.
Por shumica e amerikanëve e kundërshtojnë fuqimisht atë që po bën Trump.
Por ata votuan për të...
Trump nuk i fitoi zgjedhjet sepse njerëzit donin që ai të pushtonte Danimarkën apo të sulmonte Venezuelën. Ata votuan për të sepse klasa punëtore në këtë vend po vuan shumë. Miliona amerikanë nuk kanë mundësi të shkojnë te mjeku kur sëmuren.
Gati një e treta e popullsisë sonë është ose e pasiguruar, ose e nënsiguruar. Ne po vdesim në një moshë më të re se njerëzit në Evropë. Në SHBA është shumë e shtrenjtë të shkosh në universitet. Njerëzit s’kanë mundësi të përballojnë kujdesin ndaj fëmijëve dhe kostot e strehimit janë jashtëzakonisht të larta.
Një nga arsyet pse Trump ka qenë i suksesshëm është se njerëzit e klasës punëtore i kanë kthyer sytë nga demokratët, dhe demokratët nuk kanë bërë asgjë për ta. Unë dhe disa demokratë, si Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, po përpiqemi ta transformojmë Partinë Demokratike në një parti të klasës punëtore, të përgatitur për t’u përballur me oligarkët.
Trump u ka bërë thirrje republikanëve që të shtetëzojnë zgjedhjet, edhe pse Kushtetuta thotë se shtetet kanë autoritet mbi atë proces. A keni frikë se zgjedhjet e nëntorit do të manipulohen?
Nuk besoj se do t'ia dalë. Në të kundërt, do të jemi në një rrethanë revolucionare. Besoj se ai do të bëjë gjithçka që mundet për të parandaluar humbjen në Kongres dhe Senat. Ne po punojmë për këtë tani, si ligjërisht ashtu edhe politikisht.
Ju jeni një politikan i vjetër me një mori ndjekësish të rinj, midis të cilëve shpesh mbizotëron zhgënjimi. A janë këto kohët më të këqija që keni përjetuar ndonjëherë?
These are the most dangerous times the United States has faced in modern history. That is indisputable. But having visited the entire country, I think the average American is good, believes in democracy and justice. I also believe that not only will we defeat Trumpism, but we will create a much fairer and more just USA for working people. / Adapted from "Pamphlet" by "El Pais"
Lini një Përgjigje