New York Times: Why America Made a Dangerous Choice

American voters chose to turn Donald Trump into the White House, putting the nation on an uncertain course that no one could fully predict.

The founders of this state have known the possibility that voters could one day choose an authoritarian leader and have imposed certain safeguard clauses in the Constitution, including granting the competencies of two other branches of government, designed to be control mechanisms against a president who would deformise and violate laws to achieve his own goals. And the founders adopted a set of rights, most importantly the First Amendment, as the right to rally for citizens, word and protest against the words and acts of their leader.

Over the next four years, Americans must be clear to threats to the nation and its laws from its 47th president and should be prepared to exercise their rights in defence of the country and people, laws, institutions and values that have kept the country strong.

It cannot be ignored that millions of Americans voted for a candidate, (for which even some of the closest supporters admit there are huge shortcomings), convinced that he was most likely to change and regulate what they consider to be the country's urgent problems: high prices, the flow of illegal immigrants, a decomposing southern border, and economic policies that have created inequity deep in society. Some cast their ballots because of dissatisfaction with the quo status in politics or the state of American institutions more widely.

Whatever led these voters to make that decision, however, all Americans now need to be careful about a future Trump administration that is likely to be a top priority in creating an uncontrolled power and punishing its enemies, things Trump has repeatedly pledged to do. All Americans, regardless of party or political affiliation, should insist that the fundamental pillars of democracy in the country (including constitutional controls and balances, fair federal prosecutors and judges, a system of impartial elections and fundamental civil rights) are preserved against an attack Trump has already begun and has said it will continue.

At this point, there can be no illusions of who Donald Trump is and how he intends to rule. He showed us in his first term and years after leaving office that he has no respect for the law, let alone the values, norms and traditions of democracy. As he assumes responsibility for the most powerful state in the world, he is clearly motivated only by the thirst for power and the preservation of the cult of the individual he has built up. These qualities are already revealed openly because they accept not only his critics but also those who served him more closely.

We are a nation that has always emerged from the crossroads, with ideals intact and often stronger and more sharpened. Our government institutions, formed by nearly 250 years of disagreement, unrest, murder, and war, stood firm when Trump attacked them four years ago. And the Americans know toy face the worst instincts of Trump (actions that were unfair, immoral, or illegal) because they did this over and over again during his first administration. Civil servants, members of Congress, members of his party and the people he appointed to high places often thwarted former presidential plans along with other institutions of our society, including the free press and independent law enforcement agencies, who showed them responsibilities to the public.

Mr. Trump and his movement have invaded the Republican Party today. However, it is important to remember that Trump cannot run for another mandate. Since the day he enters the White House, he will, in fact, be a president in the last term. The constitution limits it to two mandates. Congress has the power (and some ambitious republics within it) to set a course different from Trump's anti-democratic agenda if he chooses to follow it.

Governors and lawmakers throughout the country have spent months supporting their state laws and constitutions to protect civil rights and freedoms, including access to abortion and access to gender change. States that voted overwhelmingly for Trump, including Kentucky, Ohio, and Kansas, have also rejected the most extreme positions for abortion. Other institutions of American civil society will play a crucial role in challenging the Trump administration in courts, in our communities and in protests that will certainly resume.

Even the rest of the world have no illusions of the leader who will soon represent the United States again on the world stage. NATO alliance countries were shaken during the first Trump administration by its readiness to undermine that long and valid partnership. But European nations, challenging Trump's predictions, not only joined the United States in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but also expanded NATO to the border with Russia.

For the Democratic Party, action in the rear will not be enough as political opposition. The party also needs to look carefully at why it lost the election. Much time was wasted to understand that President Biden was unable to run for a second term. Much time was wasted to realise that their progressive agenda was driving voters away, including some of their party's most loyal supporters.

And the Democrats have had difficulty finding a convincing message resonating with Americans from both parties who have lost confidence in the system. This has led sceptical voters towards a more explosive figure, even though a large majority of Americans accept it with all its problems.

If the Democrats want to confront Mr. Trump effectively, they need not only resistance to his worst impulses, but they must also offer him a vision of what they will do to improve the lives of all Americans and respond to the fear that people have of running the country and how they will change it.

The test for the members of this new Congress will begin immediately after taking the oath. The president-elect has promised to surround himself in his second term with trusted people who will be willing to do whatever he commands. But a president needs the Senate to approve many of these appointments. Senators can ban the most extreme or unqualified candidates from taking office as defence secretary and prosecutor general, as well as seats in the Supreme Court and federal government. They may act to reject candidates clearly unsuitable from maintaining any strong position. The Senate did so in 2020 when it blocked Mr. Trump's efforts to put unqualified people aboard the Federal Reserve and the room should not hesitate to do so again.

Perhaps the most important responsibility lies with all who will serve in a second administration of Trump. Those he appoints as attorney general, as secretary of defence and in other senior governing roles must expect that he may ask them to commit illegal acts or violate their vows to the Constitution in his name, as he did in the first term. We urge them to acknowledge that whatever loyalty he may require, their first loyalty is to their country. Stand against Mr. Trump is possible and it is the duty of any American public official when appropriate.

But the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the continuation of America's stable values lies with its voters. Those who supported Mr. Trump in this election should closely observe his conduct in office to see if it agrees with their expectations and expectations, and if it doesn't, they should let their disappointments be revealed and cast ballots in elections between the mandate in 2026 and 2028 so that the country can turn in the right direction. Those who oppose him should not hesitate to raise the alarm when he abuses his power, and if he tries to use government power to retaliate against critics, the world will be watching him.

Benjamin Franklin gave famous advice to the American people when he said that the nation was “a republic, if you can save it” The choice of Mr. Trump poses a great threat to that republic, but he cannot determine the fate of American democracy forever. This remains in the hands of the American people. And the work of four years to come.