In his effort to be reelected, Donald Trump, the most controversial president in US history, is forcing the country's democracy under its greatest stress test since the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865. Back then, southern states fought against those in the north to maintain slavery.
Trump is trailing in the national polls, and he has already cast doubts on the integrity of the election this Tuesday (3), affirming, without evidence, that the vote by mail will lead to fraud. With a low rate of irregularity, the practice, which was already common, was intensified in this pandemic year.
The Republican president has not said whether he will accept a defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. He is already pressuring his government to investigate his opponent, thereby showing that he wants to make the White House dispute a legal war.
The polarization fueled by Trump may become so radical that perhaps the election will not be enough to restore the strength of democracy in the country, which is experiencing an unprecedented crisis. Coronavirus has already killed almost 230,000 Americans.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon