This is an adapted excerpt from the Nov. 13 episode of “All In with Chris Hayes.”
On Wednesday, Donald Trump returned to the White House for the first time since he slunk away four years ago, skipping Joe Biden’s inauguration. This time around, Biden invited the president-elect to meet in the Oval Office, a tradition meant to symbolize the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next.
The two presidents sat side by side in front of a roaring fire and put on a friendly face for the cameras. Biden congratulated Trump on his victory and said he was “looking forward to having a smooth transition.”
Four years ago, from that very office, Trump tried to overthrow the republic and overturn the will of the people.
Now, I absolutely get why Biden is following the normal rituals, welcoming his successor and shaking his hand. It’s all to send a signal about the stability of our system. But that doesn’t negate the fact that for a lot of us, that scene was tough to watch.
Four years ago, from that very office, Trump tried to overthrow the republic and overturn the will of the people. This time around, he threatened to do the exact same thing if he lost — except he won. So democracy carries on peacefully as usual because that’s what Democrats do when they lose.
And we’re all supposed to just swallow that asymmetry? Honestly, it can feel pretty enraging.
Our democracy had a narrow escape only because Trump won. So instead of dangerous lies, conspiracy theories, maybe more mob violence and who knows what else, we get a happy fireside chat.
On Jan. 6, 2025, there will be no gallows erected on the U.S. Capitol grounds. Instead, Vice President Kamala Harris will preside over the peaceful, constitutional certification of the electoral votes.
But Trump’s electoral victory does not solve the central problem here: He and many in his movement still remain a dangerous threat to the continuity of our constitutional republic. They still don’t respect democratic norms. They don’t respect facts. They don’t believe that the rules apply to them.
We shouldn’t come to the conclusion that, because he won, all of that doesn’t matter.
Yes, the majority of Americans decided that Jan. 6, 2021, and all of Trump’s other alleged crimes were not enough to sway their vote against him, but I don’t think that means that they don’t care about our democracy. (Trump has pleaded not guilty in all four of his criminal cases.)
I know that I, and a lot of my fellow citizens, still care deeply about our Constitution, our tradition of a peaceful transfer of power and upholding our liberal democratic order. And I don’t know what the solution is as we prepare for another four years of Trump in power.
However, I refuse to accept that this is just the way things work now. I don’t accept the idea that there is one set of rules for him and another for everyone else.
We cannot accept a status quo in our elections, where if one side wins, they have to scratch and claw to withstand lies — illegal challenges and violent mobs — and if the other side is successful, they’re invited to measure the drapes and gather around the fireplace.
I don’t accept the idea that there is one set of rules for Trump and another for everyone else.
Yes, the nature of preserving democracy, institutions and norms is that you uphold them even for people like Trump who have tried to tear them down. But this is not a sustainable equilibrium: One side upholds liberal democratic norms, the other subverts and destroys them.
It’s going to break, one way or the other. I don’t know how it ends up or who wins, but that central struggle didn’t dissolve because Trump won more votes this time.
Allison Detzel contributed.
