At four o’clock in the morning, no one knows who wins the Presidential Elections.
But President Donald J. Trump said he is the victor.
The impulses of the president have made an anxious nation even more anxious. The highly-contested presidential race has already infected relationships and defined a nation pervaded by numerous crises, from the coronavirus pandemic to racial injustice and inequality. By early Wednesday morning, he has declared premature victory and threatened legal action if the ballots will be counted beyond Election Day.
What will America do then?
Given the nature of Trump supporters, America may witness a civil war that will define its politics for a generation. Not seen for more than a century, Americans should not be surprised if the unexpected happens.
The president has won the key battleground states of Florida and Ohio, defying the polls and inching a step closer towards reelection. For his opponent, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., he has flipped a western state, Arizona, that has only voted for a Democrat thrice in 72 years.
News anchors were infuriated over the president’s early-morning remarks, pulverizing the notion they have been amplifying to their viewers for hours: Even if a president hasn’t been called yet after Election Night, allegations of fraud are simply unfounded.
The year 2000 keeps coming back to many Americans, wherein the Supreme Court intervened in the nation’s political affairs to end the tumultuous battle for the White House. The scorn of supporters from both parties against each other gripped the nation for more than a month, exposing the flaws of America’s democratic institutions.
Political and legal experts expect that election litigations may triple this year, especially that more than 100 million Americans have voted by mail due to Covid-19 concerns. Both parties have been preparing for months their legal team in case the showdown concludes at the Supreme Court.
Hyperpartisanship has long intoxicated Washington. And elections clearly manifest the political divide. For the past four years, the nation has seen nothing but childish attacks against each other, trying to own one another in the most humiliating way possible. Norms have been shattered and accountability has become non-existent. Problems continue to spring as solutions continue to evaporate.
And now that the elections will be decided in a handful of states within razor-thin margins, the fight for the candidates’ political survival will be on full display, thus making the situation chaotic.
“It’s not my place or Donald Trump’s place to declare who has won this election,” Mr. Biden said.
“That’s the decision of the American people.”
Featured image from Zee Business.
The Edj View 