As a Scot looking in, I would like to think I have a good read on America. I’ve visited the country, take more than a passing interest in their current affairs and study alongside literally thousands of them. My thoughts on America is that it is equally, if not more, mental than any other country. My hypothesis was compounded when they elected Donald Trump, a man barely more competent than my demented Granny. I have followed for the past four years with the rest of you, reading Buzzfeed articles about how he misspelled the word “counsel” on Twitter, every slip up on the world stage, waiting for the day that he finally leaves office.

“The Donald” however has upset this, as he has recently suggested on Twitter that the election be delayed to counter electoral fraud, namely mail in ballots, so that everyone can vote in person. Now I’ve never really went along with the Liberal hyperbole of this being a fundamentally fascist presidency. Dangerous? Yes. Fascist? No. I accepted the result and started crossing off the days till November 2020, not getting overly excited about Russiagate or his impeachment proceedings. I thought “Sure, we’ll make it through it and then repair the country”. However, this recent act (along with the anonymous soldiers snatching people off the street in Portland) has made me reconsider my views of Trump’s presidency and its legacy.

Trump’s call is not only dangerous as it seeks to delay a democratic process, but more importantly, it aims to delegitimise the election. Historian and think tank researcher Nils Gilman says he only has to create “a plausible narrative that he didn’t lose”. Claims about electoral fraud (an un-evidenced talking point) will cast a dark cloud over the election and the likely close result will not be accepted by the other side. Trump himself, when asked if he would accept the result, gave the blunt response of “we’ll see”.

This fear is even shared by some of the US’s allies, with Germany’s intelligence agency making plans in the event of Trump refusing to leave office. Closer to home, the Boston Globe has reported on a bipartisan group formed to ‘game out’ the eventualities of the coming election. Multiple scenarios, including disputed victories for both Trump and Biden, resulted in a tumultuous period of unrest and violence and even secession of states who disagreed with the results. This wasn’t a predictive exercise as such but one that aimed to demonstrate the unpredictability and recklessness of even casting aspersions of doubt over the democratic process. Trump has championed America as a bastion of pluralism and ‘freedom’, yet continues to denigrate it in the eyes of the rest of world.

Now the renowned constitutional legal experts of twitter.com have informed me that delaying the election is not within his remit, so I am filled with a temporary sigh of relief. They have also informed me that it is still possible for the election to be delayed until the 22nd of December at the latest with the expressed will of Congress.

In the eyes of ‘Never Trumpers’ as they have come to be known, Republican House leader Mitch McConnell has been a more than willing accomplice over the course of Trump’s presidency. He has backed the President at every turn in a time where Democrats appeal for their colleagues to put their country before party. However, McConnell has insisted that November’s election will go ahead no matter what and other prominent Republicans, such as former presidential hopeful Marco Rubio, have also backed the 3rd November date. In the event that President Trump did decide to delay the election or leave office, it appears that the Republican old guard would uphold their constitutional obligations.

While it appears that the Republican Party would hold up its democratic duty and concede, the question must be asked: What is to stop a dictatorship? What if the current situation in America is inflamed further and he uses this as an excuse to utilise emergency powers? Whose side would key institutions such as the military or secret service take? It might seem hyperbolic or something out of a Hollywood film, but there is a genuine fear that he clings to power and the powerbrokers in Washington side with totalitarianism. This isn’t to suggest that this is what will happen, but an uncooperative Trump could have us hanging our hopes on institutions not known for their democratic values.

In the case of a Trump loss, we can only hope that he takes it graciously. Trump’s primary goal of delaying the election may be unattainable, but his efforts to delegitimise it may bear fruit. As for support for this, the Republican old guard appear willing to concede but there is far more doubt about the President himself and the apparatus of the state. With so much uncertainty about the democratic foundations of America if he lost, you might even be forgiven for wanting a victory for Donald Trump.