General
Monday Briefing
Americans’ fears about the future of democracy.
Credit…June Kim
Americans express deep concern for their democracy
Nearly half of all U.S. voters believe that American democracy does not do a good job of representing ordinary people, according to a new New York Times/Siena College poll.
Three-quarters of voters in the U.S. say that democracy is under threat — though their perception of those threats varies widely based on partisan leanings — and a majority of voters believe that the country is plagued by corruption.
The eroding faith in the nearly 250-year-old American system of government follows four years of unparalleled challenges: a violent riot in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election; the criminal conviction of Donald Trump; and his continued insistence that the democratic process is rigged.
Those events, colliding with stubborn inflation, divisive culture wars and geopolitical crises, have voters exasperated with American politics and a government that they believe has failed to serve them at the most basic level. Such frustrations have left 58 percent of voters believing that the nation’s financial and political systems need major changes or a complete overhaul.
The latest: Trump closed his hourslong Madison Square Garden rally last night after a series of warm-up speakers who delivered a litany of racist remarks, vulgar insults and profanity-laden comments. Kamala Harris appeared in Philadelphia, where she courted the city’s Puerto Rican population.
More on the U.S. election
The election is eight days away.
A memo circulating in Trump’s orbit says that if elected he should use private firms to check appointees’ backgrounds and give them access to classified secrets.
The Washington Post announced it would not endorse a presidential candidate this year, a decision made by the company’s owner, Jeff Bezos.
Harris has many celebrities campaigning for her. It has uncorked complicated feelings for Trump and his supporters.
Do you have questions about the election? Send them to us, and we’ll find the answers.
