Trump Seeks Alliance To Protect Democracy From Voters
President Donald Trump is pursuing a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin to defend democracy against its most persistent threat: citizens who expect their ballots to determine the government. Administration officials said the three leaders hope to meet alongside an upcoming Asia-Pacific gathering and develop common standards for elections, including shorter campaigns, fewer viable candidates and the orderly presumption that the incumbent has already won. The talks would address trade, nuclear weapons and the destabilizing practice of counting votes before announcing a victor.
Trump praised Xi and Putin as pioneers of democratic efficiency, noting that neither leader has permitted election-night uncertainty to interfere with national confidence. “These are tremendous leaders, very strong leaders, and nobody sits around for days counting ballots or listening to people complain about choices,” Trump said. “They know who won, everybody knows who won, and the country can get back to saying how popular the winner is.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the proposed talks as an opportunity to study governments where recounts, opposition parties and unfavorable headlines have been responsibly removed from the civic supply chain.
Xi is expected to present China’s system of national consensus, under which disagreement is detected before it can become an administrative burden. Putin will reportedly outline Russia’s competitive model, which allows opposition candidates to participate so long as they do not create unnecessary suspense. Trump plans to offer an American compromise preserving the pageantry of voting while classifying the results as nonbinding recommendations subject to presidential review, donor consultation and television ratings. Under the proposal, citizens could still receive stickers, post photographs and congratulate themselves for participating, while qualified professionals determine what the electorate meant.
The summit is expected to conclude with a declaration affirming that democracy is indispensable, sacred and far too important to be entrusted to voters.
* None of the quotes in this article were spoken by an actual person. More info.