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Trump refusal to commit to peaceful transition may lead to constitutional crisis: Matt Taibbi

Thursday, 01 October 2020 10:34 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 01 October 2020 11:28 AM ]

US President Donald Trump looks on during a campaign rally at Duluth International Airport in Duluth, Minnesota, US, on September 30, 2020. (Photo by Reuters)

US President Donald Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transition of power should he lose the November election may lead to an unprecedented constitutional crisis, a US analyst warns.

Matt Taibbi said dozens of new factors in this year’s election, including a new Supreme Court nominee, a potential 4-4 tie at the Supreme Court, and millions of mail-in ballots have all complicated the election process and increased the possibility of a contested constitutional crisis the US has never seen before.

Trump last month refused to commit to a peaceful transition if he loses to his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, leading some to speculate that Trump might use his executive power to stay in office, and seek to use the tools of presidential power including his role as commander in chief of the armed forces to prolong his time in office.

Senior Pentagon officials have already expressed concerns that Trump may invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy active duty troops and civilian law enforcement to crush ant-racism protests sparked by the police killing of African-American George Floyd in June.

Trump has made several public references to using the Act recently as he pushes his “law and order” messaging on the campaign trail, even as he claims he doesn't want to use it.

Taibbi said contrary to people in other countries who are accustomed to post-election crises, the American people are not ready to handle such unprecedented constitutional crisis calmly and that the US is already contending with internal instability.

The analyst also described Trump's call on his supporters to act as volunteer poll watchers on Election Day as “provocative”, saying the call will be translated as voter intimidation at the polls.

During Tuesday night's off-the-rails debate with Biden, Trump refused to urge his followers to remain calm during a prolonged vote-counting period after the November 3 election, if the winner were unclear

The president cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election and called on his supporters “to go into the polls and watch very carefully because that is what has to happen, I am urging them to do it.”

The call has raised fear of voter intimidation and polling place chaos across the country, with Democrats raising concern that it would bring right-wing groups with firearms to polling stations.

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