Will Trump tarnish or glorify democracy?

After Donald Trump claimed the mantle a few days ago as the Republican presidential nominee, many advocates of democracy certainly don’t know whether they should laugh or cry. In any other political system, he may not have stood a chance. Only in America can a man like him rise to challenge for the position seen as the most powerful, not just in his country but in the world.
There are many men like Trump, of course, but few of them can be open about their own questionable side while seeking political power. Fewer still can be so open about their own contentious character and get their highest political ambitions endorsed. If he makes it to the presidency, Trump could be the only man in modern political history to have done so after laying bare his highly controversial self.
The nomination pits him against Democrat Hillary Clinton. The campaign promises spectaculars that could make many democracy lovers squirm. Words like “terrorist”, “psychopath” and “crook” have been uttered by both sides in a serious manner unseen before. This begs a question that needs to be answered. What is American politics if people you genuinely consider terrorists or psychopaths can grab political power that easily?
The argument that branding political opponents “terrorists” is an acceptable democratic strategy can be equally disturbing. Firstly, it is not a normal lie or distortion commonly seen when people fight for political power. The term “terrorist” is nothing short of character assassination. If American democracy tolerates such an immoral lie, what good is that democracy anyway?
Secondly, if democracy allows people to be labelled “terrorists” when it is simply not true, is it fair to say that democracy actually looks down on voters, the group it proclaims it holds so highly? Simply put, is American democracy all about fooling and belittling voters?
The American media have admitted that the presidential campaign will be a no-holds-barred showdown, but none has actually said how the fierce fight could devalue democracy. After all, democracy should be about presenting the best candidates before the public and letting each candidate show how he or she is the “better” choice. Democracy shouldn’t be about candidates knowingly letting “terrorists” rule their country, or telling voters immoral lies.
The phrase “people have spoken” has always been glorified in American politics but it is in danger of getting seriously mocked globally in the upcoming election. As things stand, it will be either “people have spoken” after they elect a genuine terrorist to the highest office or “people have spoken” after believing some immoral liars.
It’s a no-win situation for American democracy, and many American politicians must hang their heads in shame.
The world has been sceptical about the US democracy for quite some time, yet Donald Trump’s nomination will bring that scepticism to the fore. There were times when America’s democracy was considered the most effective and sophisticated, but a lot of things have shattered such illusions. The highly questionable behaviour of American financial institutions and their political connections are among the eye-opening issues.
Will Donald Trump further tarnish America’s democracy? Or will he just expose it as it has always been? Or did America’s democracy create Donald Trump in the first place?
These questions may be more fundamental in the US election campaign than whether he is an “IS recruiter” or whether Hillary Clinton is a major league fraudster.