Trump, a political system at stake?

In the latest edition of "De cara al mundo" on Onda Madrid, we had the participation of José María Peredo, Professor of Communication and International Relations at the Universidad Europea and author of the book "It's not about Trump", who analysed the situation of US democracy after the impeachment of former President Donald Trump, in an interview with Javier Fernández Arribas. 

Is the political system in the United States at stake? 

The question is Donald Trump's capacity to react and put the system in check, but the impeachment process does not put American democracy in check. This would happen if there is a mobilisation and a demagogic action with regard to this situation, but Donald Trump has not been impeached as president, but as a candidate, in an action prior to the mandate of the United States. 

As the author of the book "It's not about Trump", do you think that at the heart of this is a struggle of liberal democracy against authoritarian populism? 

I would say yes. Indeed, there is a key issue, and that is that Donald Trump has represented a third option within the American two-party system, a path that has been identified with what we have called populism, in this case of a more nationalist and ultra-conservative nature. The very message we have heard after his indictment I think is significant for this populism. It turns out that he is being charged with a crime and he says that the only crime he has committed has been to defend the nation from those who seek to undo it. It is a very clearly populist message using the only recourse he has in this process. 

Of course, the democratic system in the United States, what is called the establishment, is not that it functions as some sort of invisible hand that is above all else. It is simply respect for the laws, it is a system that is enormously respectful of the laws and of those who defend them or develop them, in this case a prosecutor, and that is the fundamental issue. There is not a manoeuvre by the establishment as a whole against Donald Trump, the issue is that the judicial system has detected some crimes that are imputable. 

And above all because there has been an impression for some time now that Donald Trump is using his political position to protect himself from justice, not only because of the most recent charges that we know about, such as the issue of having taken confidential reports home or the assault on the Capitol, but also because of the management of his companies and his tax declarations. 

Yes, this is indeed one of his open cases and we will see where it leads. There is a certain fear or concern that this could be used for the opportunism that Donald Trump lives for. Of course, in his political facet it could be used to regain prominence in the media with great victimisation. 

I would say that this is a concern that should not be the priority at the moment because this is one of the cases that could affect the former president of the United States. What is significant is that there has been a presidency that has been able to generate these situations of uncertainty in terms of respect for legality or in terms of the future of that action as president. Not even President Nixon himself, who is - with all due respect - that "dustbin" where for decades American politics has poured all its miseries, was finally impeached. I think it is significant from a historical point of view. Now, it is not because of his presidential action but because of his action, in this case, as a candidate. 

He is a terrible example, especially at the international level, at a time when the United States is in the midst of a struggle with China for international hegemony and also against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. 

Of course, all these internal processes always weaken democracies, especially in the face of regimes that do not have these processes or that are not so visible. Naturally, corruption in these systems occurs just like in any other, but political and judicial actions are not subject to this transparency or the capacity for social and political impact.  

Indeed, the United States is in a very definite strategic position right now. Therefore, I would also say that the Republican Party as a whole is today the key to maintaining this stability, that is to say, it is not a question of Donald Trump now becoming the victim or the new dustbin of US democracy, but it is a question of there being other options that do not identify Republicanism with Trumpism.