President Trump and the warping of democratic governance

Not for the first time, President Trump has revealed the fragility of this country’s democratic system. Three years into his presidency, the evidence of a weakened system is all around. It has happened in plain sight.

The latest involves the president and Ukraine. Based on what has so far been reported, the president asked, encouraged or demanded that the leader of a foreign government undertake an investigation designed to produce information that could damage a potential 2020 campaign rival. …

America’s democratic system, the world’s oldest, is said to be resilient, with institutions strong enough to defend against runaway actors and with checks and balances designed to prevent too much power from building up in any one place or with any one person. Earlier in Trump’s presidency, that appeared to be the case. Right now, however, that is in question. CONT.

Dan Balz, Washington Post