Biden’s in the Oval Office, so it’s time to bust out the freedom memes and dust off your bald eagle t-shirt…or is it?
There’s no question that, in recent years, the much-celebrated ideal of American democracy has lost credit. Since the Trump administration was inaugurated in January of 2017, and following what many people thought was a rigged election, there have been countless accusations of federal foul play.
In what Tweeters jokingly dubbed the ‘season finale’ of America, Trump’s dismissal from the White House was characteristically sour. His demands, in case you needed reminding, included a call for voting to be stopped whilst he was ahead, as well as a recount.
The aftermath of this controversy lead to his supporters storming the US Capitol building, as well as the deaths of five people – all of which resulted in the first-ever double impeachment of any president’s four-year tenure.
Naturally, his exit called for celebration across the world, and across social media.
Rigged Polls Took Their Toll
It’s probably not a surprise, then, that the USA’s long-standing claim to democracy falls short of reality, according to an index complied by The Economist.
Their research found that the USA is only the 25th most democratic nation out of the 167 that were studied, scoring a modest 7.96 out of 10. This places it just under South Korea, and its neighbour, Canada.
The sad news is that any score lower than 8 is seen by the survey as a flawed democracy. It’s clear, then, that the Biden administration has got a lot of reparative work to do.
Incidentally, Norway was declared as the most democratic country in the world, with Iceland and Sweden taking the second and third spots respectively. The UK finds itself at 14th place, scoring an 8.38 out of 10.
Biden’s looking to turn the tables on Trump’s legacy, and he wasn’t afraid to let him know it either. Check out the hidden message that he gave Donald after winning the election.
