Treason Has a Face

And the face is Donald Trump’s.

Shakespeare once wrote “hell is empty, and all the devils are here”.

He could well have been writing about Donald Trump, today’s Republican Party, and his tens of millions of followers.

The devils are indeed here.

Many years ago, Trump declared his opposition to the U.S. having to defend European countries as required by Article 5 of the NATO Treaty. 

During his first administration cooler heads convinced him to take no action in withdrawing from the Organization, although his rhetoric caused NATO allies much concern and led to a lack of credibility with respect to U.S. security commitments that the Biden administration has not been able to reverse.

This was met with great favor by Russian President Putin. Russia’s ambition since the days of the Soviet Union has been to destroy NATO and assume a preponderant position in Europe. 

A second Trump administration would lack the cooler heads who have all declared their opposition to Trump. He would almost certainly withdraw the U.S. from NATO, thus giving Russia its ultimate geopolitical victory. 

This would amount to treason.

Although the Congress must approve withdrawal from international treaties, Trump has said that from day one of his administration he would suspend the constitution, replace the Joint Chiefs of Staff with officers loyal to him, and use the armed forces to suppress any dissent.

Hence, he would face no constitutional impediment towards implementing whatever foreign or domestic policy he wished.

He has also promised to prosecute and imprison all officials, judges, and prosecutors who have pursued legal action against him over the years.

Again, using the justice system against his perceived enemies is treason writ large, as is removing the independence of the judicial and legislative branches of government and making them bend to his will.

Recently, he said that he hoped the stock market would crash, eliminating the savings of tens of millions of Americans, in order to satisfy his election campaign and enhance his chances of defeating President Biden, whose economic policies have turned the country around, lifted millions out of poverty, reduced unemployment significantly, and led to a huge market recovery after the disaster of the Trump years.

Working to destroy the wealth of his country for selfish electoral advantage is treasonous.

Most members of the Republican Party appear to endorse Trump’s vision and promises. He leads his primary opponents by some 35 % and is considered a shoo-in for the nomination.

Republican Congressional representatives have stated publicly that they will not introduce immigration measures to defend the southern border to avoid giving the Biden administration a winning card in the upcoming election.

This is treasonous behavior, subverting the public good to parochial electoral interests, and allowing the country to face a serious security problem. 

His Republican followers in Congress support his allegations that the 2020 elections were rigged. Moreover, most of them support Trump’s treasonous attempted insurrection on January 6th, 2021, and continue to support him as the Justice Department prosecutes Trump. 

In addition, his followers in Congress call those already convicted of violent crimes on that date as “hostages” and support Trump’s plan to pardon them all on the first day of his administration.

Supporting an insurrection is treason, and those elected officials who participated and support his contentions should be prosecuted and barred from seeking public office.

The fact that Trump is a traitor has been demonstrated through his own words and deeds.

The fact that many Republican legislators at the federal, state, and local levels support him and have enabled his actions at all levels of government underscores their complicity in treason.

The fact that over sixty million Americans continue to support Trump and the Republicans is beyond worrying. It underscores the fact that tens of millions of Americans have given up on democracy and support a dictatorship. 

They support traitors taking absolute power in the United States, and risk destroying a country that was, for better or for worse, a beacon of hope for many around the world.

And that, in my view, is treason with a face – the face of Donald Trump.

What can be done? 

I always say that the perfect is the enemy of the good. 

Whether voters like Biden or not, whether they think he is not radical enough for their tastes, or whether they worry about his age (although he is in far better shape than Trump) is irrelevant. 

The only issue on the ballot this year that voters face if Trump is the Republican candidate is whether they want their country to remain a democracy or become a dictatorship. 

Nothing else matters. 

Americans must vote in large numbers for Democrats for the Presidency, the Senate, and the House of Representatives.

Otherwise they can kiss their democracy good-bye.

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Edition: Estefanía Cardeña