The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia
January 11, 2021

In a democracy, you can't legislate everything. Some things are left to mere human decency. America is a country where the "honor system" is expected to prevail and thrive. That is why people are expected to resign from public positions when they cross certain ethical lines, even though their actions or behavior may not be illegal. In the four years, I spent in graduate school in America, there were no proctors for our examinations. However, no student attempted to cheat or even ask his/her classmate a question. When you enter a bank or other public places where people are waiting to be served, you don't jump the line. When you are stuck in rush hour traffic, you are expected to remain in the queue and not use the shoulders of the road or highway. These are some unwritten rules that guide this great society.

However, no matter how organized society is, there would be some outliers. And definitely, President Trump falls into this category. President Trump and his enablers have pushed American democracy and governance system to its limit. They have done some damage. But this system has survived for nearly two hundred fifty years and hasn't been destroyed.

Trump came to the political spotlight by questioning the citizenship of his immediate predecessor. He smeared the former president by claiming Obama scammed the American people by frequently claiming he was born in America. The entire Republican Party knew this was a lie. But they either kept quiet or ran with the conspiracy that the former President had to publicly release his birth certificate at some point.

Trump didn't stop there. When he came down his golden escalator in Trump Tower five years ago to announce his candidacy for the presidency of the United States of America, Trump called Mexicans rapists and drug traffickers. When he demonized minorities, women, immigrants, and even people with disabilities, he was receiving endorsements from high profile Republicans like Senator Jeff Sessions.

Trump's attacks would not only be limited to Obama, Mexicans, other minorities, and people with disabilities. As his support swelled across the country and he secured more endorsements from top Republicans in Washington, he became emboldened and directed his attacks at military veterans like Senator John McCain, a Vietnam veteran and also a "Gold Star" family. Unwritten rules in America revere these categories of citizens for the sacrifices they or their family members made for the country. Some even laid down their lives in defense of a peaceful and democratic America. But Trump, a privileged American, attacked and ridiculed these extraordinary people on the campaign trail without any remorse. The more he broke these unwritten rules, the more he was cheered by his supporters.

As Trump steamrolled his way to the Republican nomination in 2016, he was doing sufficient damage to the honor system in America. As if the damage he did during the campaign wasn't enough, he interpreted his presidential victory on November 8, 2016, as the country's endorsement of his assault on American decency.

From the very onset of President Trump's administration in January 2017, it became abundantly clear that a new sheriff was in town. A sheriff who traffics in lies and misinformation! A sheriff who compelled his first press secretary Sean Spicer to lie to the American people from the White House conference room that Trump's inauguration crowds were the largest in American history! A sheriff who scolded his lieutenants for speaking the truth once it made Trump to look bad! A sheriff whose administration introduced "alternative facts" to the American people! A sheriff who calls the press "enemies of the people," simply because they dare holding him to account and pointing out his lies! A sheriff who puts kids in cages to send a message to their parents not to cross the southern borders! A sheriff who takes the words of President Putin over his own intelligence agencies! A sheriff who calls white supremacists and neo-Nazis "good people"! A sheriff who cozy up with dictators around the world but rebuffed America's democratic allies! A sheriff who can only accept an electoral victory but not a loss! A sheriff who came to power on the mantra of "draining the swamp", which actually means undermining American institutions and creating an imperial presidency! A sheriff who riles up his supporters and looks the other way while they carry out terror and mayhem in the nation’s capital!

All this culminated into the domestic terrorist attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
President Trump has dealt a great blow to the honor system in this country. He has injured American democracy. But America will nurse its wounds, heal, and move on. The Biden administration has work to do both at home and abroad. At home, the administration has to work to restore Americans' faith and confidence in their institutions. And abroad, the new administration needs to reposition the United States as an authentic world leader again. These can only be achieved if decency, the honor system, and confidence in America’s democratic institutions are restored. The world cannot second guess America’s commitment to democratic principles and the rule of law. The world needs reassurance from America and the Biden administration has to step up to the plate and start to deliver on day one.

Samuel Barbay Gaye, Jr. BBA, M.Div.
New Jersey, USA