The polluted air of populism
A new indictment of former president Donald Trump, in this case for seven crimes and 37 charges related to the appropriation of secret and confidential documents, demonstrates the solvency of a democratic state governed by the rule of law in its prosecution of crime, whoever the accused may be, and therefore guarantees not only the equality of citizens before the law, but also the vigilance of political power through the judicial system. It also shows that the excesses of the so-called populist discourse and the citizen uprisings provoked in different countries, in Spain with the independence process in Catalonia, and with various destabilising actions promoted by the radical left, and by Bildu in the Basque Country, ultimately lead to a judicial dead end, and drag down whoever has flirted with this perverse and tiresome strategy. Finally, the decision also reflects the unfortunate consequences of such empty and provocative leaderships, which remain attached to the democratic system, as Trump's new indictment now shows.
The world's first democracy, leader of the liberal order, is tied to a past disconnected from historical progress, which demands renewed leaders capable of facing challenges of enormous magnitude such as competition between great powers, sustainability in the face of climate deterioration or the impact of digitalisation and the arrival of Artificial Intelligence. The legacy of the populist, ultra-conservative or radical left narrative, furthermore inspired by autocratic regimes, competitors of the Euro-Atlantic democracies, is now aimed at prolonging polarisation in this final turmoil of court cases, turbulent exits from power and the distribution of electoral crumbs.
In the case of the United States, the still polluted atmosphere of politics means that, in the polls for the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump is still the frontrunner among the Republican Party candidates. Confirming that Trumpism has succeeded Trump, even though he has been impeached again and may be impeached again in at least two more cases in the coming months. And warning the rest of the Republican candidates, a good line-up including the conservatives Ron DeSantis and Mike Pence and the liberal Nikky Haley, that the main beneficiary of the fracture in their party is the Democratic Party, for the moment with President Biden at the head.
The orange image in the dusty New York sky has prompted reflection on air quality in a world in the process of climate and environmental deterioration. But it could also serve as a metaphor for the political residue that populism and radical polarisation have left in democracies after these years of ideological disorientation and social attrition. In another situation, one would say that the action of justice in this new indictment of Donald Trump opens the windows for fresh air to enter. But on this occasion, the air is polluted with foul language.