Trump Desperately Wants Democratic Legitimacy

Benjamin Parker: “It may seem counterintuitive, but part of Trump’s MAGA populism is an excessive regard for the sanctity of elections. It’s why it was so important to deny the legitimate and obvious results of the 2020 election. It’s why Trump insisted he had won the popular vote in 2016, when he clearly didn’t. It’s also why, way back in February 2016, he claimed that Ted Cruz had only won the Iowa Caucus because of fraud.”

“The appearance of democratic legitimacy is important to Trump. The force of his popularity is one of his most effective weapons against institutions that try to constrain him.”

“Now that Trump is president again, he’s using that projection of popularity and his demagogic will to power against the Constitution and laws of the United States.”