Given Donald Trump’s hostility toward democracy, it’s worth pausing when he asks supporters, "Why are we having an election?”

By all appearances, Donald Trump really doesn’t like it when Democrats describe him as a threat to democracy, and yet, the Republican keeps saying things that reflect a degree of animosity toward the American system of government.

Take the former president’s rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, for example. The New York Times reported:

Trump said polls suggested he was at “93 percent” although it was not clear what that number was referring to. The former president said he responded by saying: “So why are we having an election? They didn’t have an election. Why are we having an election?”

  • qantravon@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    38
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    24 days ago

    Who didn’t have an election?

    I suppose I shouldn’t be looking for meaning in anything he says.

    • xtr0n@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      27
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      24 days ago

      I think he’s referring to the DNC not having primaries. But with a sitting president parties don’t really have primaries to pick a candidate. But since Harris moved into Biden’s place on the ticket, Trump has been whining about how it’s unfair 🙄.

      But then he gets all discombobulated and complains about having to deal with an election even though he was also just made the GOP candidate without any primary elections (I think?). At that point I lose the thread as he devolves into sundowning.

        • rockSlayer@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          7
          ·
          24 days ago

          As I’ve been quoting since last year in regards to the GOP:

          can’t win a primary without Trump, can’t win a general with him.

    • someguy3@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      21
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      24 days ago

      The best anyone can make sense of it is that the Dems didn’t exactly have an open primary to select Harris. So he’s ?? confusing that with why have a general election? Which still doesn’t make any sense but that’s the best explanation.

      • Pennomi@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        arrow-down
        10
        ·
        24 days ago

        Which honestly is something the DNC can fuck right off about. Make it democratic, what do you have to lose? Are you scared the people might choose someone your corporate overlords dislike?

        But it in no way is party candidate selection as important as ensuring the national election is democratic.

        • samus12345@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          16
          ·
          24 days ago

          Under normal circumstances I’d agree, but as long as the GOP is the Fascist Party, spending time on a primary so close to the election is a luxury we couldn’t afford. Immediately coalescing behind a single candidate and hitting the ground running is what we needed.

        • someguy3@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          6
          ·
          24 days ago

          For DNC it was more about time. I’ll have to leave it to them to figure that out, but it seems they thought they didn’t have enough time.