How Was the 2020 Presidential Election a Repudiation of “Illiberal Democracy”?

How was the 2020 Presidential Election a Repudiation of “Illiberal democracy”?
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How was the 2020 Presidential Election a Repudiation of “Illiberal democracy”?
The United States (US) government was formed on the basis of Enlightenment ideals such as individual rights, liberty, reason, and equality. These ideals became the foundation for constitutional liberalism and according to Fareed Zakaria, the American constitution is a proclamation of these ideals (#2). These ideals are also the basis of civil liberties in a liberal democracy.
According to Fareed Zakaria, an illiberal democracy is a system of government where a country’s people exercise free and fair elections in choosing representatives in the government but fails to promote civil liberties, individual rights, separation of powers, and rule of law (#2). An illiberal democracy threatens liberal democracy and the democratic process (#2). Often, when people realize that a certain system of government is not working, they look for other ways to improve or overhaul the existing system. The same applies to illiberal democracy. Once people realize that such a democracy is not working for them, they will look for other systems of government. In the process, their efforts may interfere with liberal democracy as well and all the benefits attached to liberal democracies might be lost. Zakaria indicates that illiberal democracy is dangerous because it causes “…erosion of liberty, the abuse of power, ethnic divisions, and even war (#2).”
During the Trump administration, there was an indication that the US was on the brink of becoming an illiberal democracy. For instance, Trump broke the ethical norms and practices (#8) that have always guided how US presidents conduct themselves while in office. These norms and practices are a crucial part of the US liberal democracy. President-elect Joe Biden accused Trump of “…waging an extensive assault on Washington’s norms and traditions” due to his failure in maintaining the required ethical standards for people in government (#4). When ethical standards in government are not maintained, it creates room for a government system that is not guided by the rule of law or ethical norms. This type of system stops being a liberal democracy once norms and practices that are often informed by the constitution are ignored. Also, Trump's actions during the elections were an indication that the country was almost becoming an illiberal democracy. Many Americans came out to vote and although the race between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was close, Trump has developed a “stolen-election narrative (#3)” that threatens the very fabric of liberal democracy. As Fareed Zakaria indicated, Trump used his platform and presidential power to convince Americans and the world that the elections were stolen (#1;#6). More so, he did this with no evidence to support his claims. He was relying on his position as the incumbent to nullify the elections and invalidate the US election process. Some Republicans, such as Governor Larry Hogan and Senator Mitt Romney, indicated that Trump’s claims that the election was fraudulent threatened the American ...