Constitutional law expert dismantles Democrats’ ‘panic politics’ over fate of democracy under Trump

Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley poured cold water on Democrats’ “apocalyptic” attempts to portray former President Trump as a threat to democracy, Thursday, telling “Fox & Friends” that the scare tactics are “constitutional defamation” against the “most stable democratic system in the history of the world.”

THIS HIGH PROFILE TRUMP SURROGATE CASTS EARLY VOTING BALLOT FOR FORMER PRESIDENT

JONATHAN TURLEY: This is sort of panic politics with sort of a Halloween flare that, you know, something wicked this way comes… ‘if you vote against me, you are voting against democracy and life as you know it.’ What’s missing from this is any sense of history in any sense of constitutional law. For over two centuries, we have the oldest and most stable democratic system in the history of the world. We have gone through wars and economic crises and social crises, and we’re still here. It’s a system designed to last because we have overlapping safeguards and checks and balances and a tripartite system. All of that has to fail for these dire, apocalyptic predictions to come true. And what’s dangerous about this is that the panic politics is designed to distract voters to say that no matter what else is bothering you. Right? Vote for your own life because you’re looking at the end of democracy and your way of life unless Harris is elected.

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The problem here is that the American people have an innate sense of when they’re being played for chumps. It’s not that the decision is easy for them between Trump and Harris, but they don’t buy it. They don’t buy that, after these long two centuries of successful democracy, it’s all going to come to an end unless Harris is elected president… they’re doubling down because this is the only thing they want to talk about. They’re going to try to win an election based on abject fear with a mix of illusory joy. And so far, that hasn’t tracked with the voters. But as a legal matter, it borders on constitutional defamation. You know, there’s a lot of complaints you can make about our system, but the one thing you’re going to recommend it is we’re still here. It’s a system designed by James Madison to last. And you know, when Obama says he’s going to get unchecked power, you’re left scratching your head. We have a system of checks and balances. We have a tripartite system that is designed to prevent that. Where’s all that going to go? Where [are] all the judges and members of Congress are going to go when tyranny takes its hold because Harris is not elected president?

President Biden reiterated his longstanding argument Tuesday that Trump’s re-election would be a threat to the nation’s democracy.

“Our democracy is at stake,” he said at a political gathering in New Hampshire. “Think about it. Think about what would happen if Donald Trump wins this election.”

Biden then said, “I know this sounds bizarre. It sounds like if I said this five years ago, you’d lock me up. We got to lock him up.”

But the president appeared to instantly catch himself, adding “politically lock him up. Lock him out. That’s what we have to do.”

Vice President Kamala Harris then doubled down on her comparison of Trump to Adolf Hitler, telling a CNN town hall Wednesday that she believes Trump is a “fascist.” 

“Yes, I do, yes, I do,” Harris told moderator Anderson Cooper when asked if she believes Trump is a “fascist.” 

Harris said on X earlier Wednesday that “Trump is out for unchecked power” and similar to the Nazi Germany dictator.  

“He wants a military like Adolf Hitler had, who will be loyal to him, not our Constitution,” Harris posted. “He is unhinged, unstable, and given a second term, there would be no one to stop him from pursuing his worst impulses.”

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Fox News’ Louis Casiano, Paul Steinhauser and Emma Colton contributed to this report.