At the Turning Point Believers' Summit in Florida yesterday, former President Donald Trump made a controversial statement to his supporters, suggesting that if they elect him to the presidency again, they would no longer need to worry about voting. "You won’t have to do it anymore," Trump remarked to the crowd. "It’ll be fixed; it’ll be fine; you won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians."
Trump's comments mark a significant deviation from the democratic principles that underpin the United States' political system. It is uncommon for a major party's presidential candidate to openly suggest rendering elections obsolete, a characteristic often associated with autocratic regimes.
The remarks were delivered during an address to a large audience at the summit, which is known for drawing a crowd of fervent supporters. Trump emphasized his commitment to addressing issues that his supporters have long felt were neglected by the political establishment. However, his proposal to eliminate the need for voting has raised alarms among political analysts and opponents, who argue that such a move would undermine the very foundations of democracy in the United States.
People in Chicago were as shocked as many around the rest of the country.
Lila, a resident of the Humbolt Park area of Chicago, stated that she had been dumbfounded when she heard about Trumps remarks. "I can't say I'm usually surprised much by anything that comes out of his [Trump's] mouth. But threatenting to get rid of democracy in this country? That's really thrown me."
Others in the Chicago area were also stunned by Trump's remarks.
Jennifer who lives in Rogers Park stated that his remarks frighten her. "He's already gotten away with fixing the election, causing and insurrection, refusing to admit that COVID was real costing lives and a bunch of other crimes some of which he's actually already been convicted on. If he's elected he just might find a way to get rid of elections and remain in office indefinately. I can't imagine what might happen to our country if that were the case."
Some Chicagoans had issues with the Republican party, feeling like they have been the ones to allow things to get this far.
"If the Republicans had just refused to go along with some of his crazier movers early on, and insisted he be held accountable he wouldn't have been able to get this out of control," said Josh who lives in Edgwater.
Rebeccas from South Side Chicago agreed. "I don't know if the Republicans think going along with him [Trump] will get them somewhere or if they agree with his nonsense. It doesn't matter much because if he's elected again he'll destroy our country saving just enough of it for himself to enjoy."
Other Chicagoans were concerned that he addressed his comments only to Christians. Etta, a Jewish resident of West Rogers Park, said, "When someone starts talking only to one religious group and ignoring others, there's bound to be trouble. Publicly addressing his comments to "good Christians" over and over again suggests that is how he defines an American. And when that happens you know that everyone else is going to star having problems. It's not an accident that antisemitism went up when he came into office."
James, who lives in the South Loop area, extended this complaint. "Everyone knows that when he say 'Christians' he means male, rich, white Christians. There already enough prejudice and discrimination against blacks in this country. We don't need a president who's intentionally making matters worse."
Trump's spokesperson Steven Cheung attempted to explain the comments in a positive light, saying, "President Trump was talking about the importance of faith, uniting this country and bringing prosperity to every American, as opposed to the divisive political environment that has sowed so much division and even resulted in an assassination attempt."
Other Republicans also dismissed or minimized Trumps comments. New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu replied with a laugh, "I think that was a classic Trumpism, if you will. I think he was just trying to make the point that this stuff can be fixed."
Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, "I think he's obviously making a joke about how bad things have been under Joe Biden, and how good they'll be if we send President Trump back to the White House, so he can turn the country around again."
But some Chicago voters didn't believe these statements.
"Who are they kidding?" asked Phillip, a resident of the Streeterville neighborhood. "It's not like he hasn't made comments about becoming a dictator before. When he lost the election the election, his response was to send a mob to the Capitol to overturn the outcome. It's a miracle we got him out then. He was clear in his comments and he definitely wasn't just joking around. He intends to be King for life!"
Not everyone had a problem with Trump's comments, however.
"Oh, come on," said Kevin, a resident of the Gold Coast. "It's not like he meant he was taking over the county or anything. He was just point out that when he becomes president again he'll make everything good according to Christian ideals so that they won't have to worry about voting to change things again. I don't think anyone can really argue with settting the country right through Christian ideals."
It appeared that some Chicagoans could argue with it.
"I'm a good Christain but I definitely don't agree with his comments or policy," said Fred who live on Chicago's West Side. "This country is supposed to be for everyone."
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