By Joe Cunningham | RedState.com
AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
In the wake of the 2024 election, Democrats are once again crying about a supposed “threat to democracy” now that Donald Trump is headed back to the White House. The meltdowns on the left (and from some extremely anti-Trump right) have been nothing short of unhinged. But here’s the irony: while they’re busy wringing their hands about Trump, they’ve ignored the ways their own party has undermined the core values that make a democracy function.
And no, I’m not talking about “stolen elections” or any 2020 theories. I've never really bought into the idea that it was stolen, though that's not me saying it didn't and doesn't still exist. Rather, I’m talking about the left’s relentless push to silence dissent, weaponize government institutions, and control the public conversation.
If Democrats are wondering why so many Americans feel democracy is “threatened” and still chose to vote for Trump, they might want to take a hard look in the mirror.
What the Data Says
Interestingly, the exit polling data shows that, of people who felt that democracy was threatened supported Trump. Even the Washington Post's Philip Bump admits as much (emphasis mine):
Harris’s campaign and her allies focused heavily on the threat to democracy as Election Day neared, buoyed in part by public comments from former Trump advisers about their concerns about returning him to power. But while nearly 6 in 10 Harris voters identified democracy as their most important issue (more than the just-over-2 in 10 who identified abortion, according to these results), there weren’t enough voters centered on the threat to democracy to give Harris a victory.
Interestingly, a larger percentage of the electorate said that democracy is “very threatened” than identified democracy as their most important issue. And of those who said democracy is very threatened, a majority said they were voting for Trump.
Podcaster Charlamagne Tha God noted how odd it is that the Democrats seemed to immediately give up on that talking point as soon as the election was over.
“Don’t y’all find it strange that now that he’s won, they’re not calling him a threat to democracy," he asked. "They’re not calling him a fascist. I mean, damn... On Monday they were just calling him that.
"I would think that, if you really believe that, then somebody’s speech would be about how America effed up and how things are about to be really bad," he continued. "It just makes you wonder how much of it did they really believe, or how much of it was just politics."
The problem is that Americans, who shifted dramatically toward Trump in this election, didn't buy into the argument the Harris campaign (and the Democrats and their allies in the media and online) were making. They didn't see Trump as a threat to democracy. They looked at what the Democrats themselves have actively been doing to those they don't like or agree with.
Democrats’ War on Free Speech
One of the most troubling trends in recent years has been the Democratic Party’s embrace of censorship, particularly on issues they deem “misinformation.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw an unprecedented partnership between the federal government and Big Tech companies to silence voices that didn’t align with the approved narrative.
Social media platforms were encouraged—some might say pressured—by Democratic officials to flag and censor content critical of the government’s handling of COVID, vaccine mandates, and lockdowns.
To many Americans, this wasn’t about protecting public health; it was about controlling the narrative. When government officials dictate what information can and can’t be shared, democracy takes a hit. The right to free speech, even when that speech is inconvenient or uncomfortable, is the foundation of any free society. By attempting to police what people can say and think, Democrats sent a clear message: dissent won’t be tolerated.
And that, more than any hyperbolic fears about Trump, is a real threat to democracy.
The Rise of “Cancel Culture” as a Political Weapon
Democrats and their allies in the media have also perfected the art of “cancel culture”—a tool used to silence and punish those who don’t toe the progressive line. This isn’t just about Twitter mobs; it’s about a coordinated effort to marginalize and even destroy anyone who dares to disagree.
From media personalities to everyday Americans, people who hold conservative views risk losing their jobs, being publicly shamed, or worse, just for expressing a different opinion.
For conservatives, it feels like there’s no room left in mainstream culture for their beliefs. Hollywood, universities, major news outlets, and corporate America all seem to be singing from the same progressive hymn book, leaving little to no space for alternative viewpoints. When one ideology dominates nearly every avenue of public discourse, it’s not hard to see why so many people feel that democracy is being smothered.
Democracy isn’t just about elections—it’s about a healthy public debate. But in the Democrats’ world, only certain opinions are welcome.
Weaponizing Government Institutions to Target Political Opponents
For years now, we’ve seen an unsettling trend: government institutions that are supposed to be impartial have instead been used as tools to go after conservatives. Remember when the IRS targeted conservative groups during the Obama administration? Or how about the FBI and DOJ investigations that seem selectively aggressive when it comes to conservative organizations?
And then there’s the Hunter Biden laptop scandal, which was actively suppressed by social media platforms with the encouragement of intelligence officials who dismissed it as “Russian disinformation.”
That story, as we now know, was legitimate, but voters didn’t get a chance to judge it before the 2020 election. Democrats and their allies in Big Tech buried it, shaping public perception to benefit their side. When institutions meant to serve the public start playing partisan games, it’s no wonder people on the right feel that democracy is under siege.
This isn’t a fringe belief; it’s the logical conclusion when you see a government that’s supposed to be fair instead picking winners and losers based on ideology. It’s not about believing in some grand conspiracy—it’s about seeing, over and over again, that the rules seem different depending on which side of the aisle you’re on.
Democrats Have Created an Unequal Playing Field in Public Discourse
A healthy democracy depends on a free exchange of ideas. But in today’s America, that exchange is anything but free. When the mainstream media, Big Tech, and major cultural institutions are all aligned with one political ideology, it skews the conversation and silences dissent. Conservatives are consistently censored on platforms like Twitter and Facebook under vague policies about “misinformation” or “hate speech.”
Meanwhile, left-leaning voices rarely face the same scrutiny.
This creates a reality where one side of the political spectrum has an unfair advantage. When the public square—where ideas are supposed to compete—is effectively controlled by one ideology, democracy suffers. Conservatives feel like they’re fighting with one hand tied behind their backs, unable to get a fair shake in a system that’s rigged against them.
When dissenting voices are silenced, the democratic process becomes distorted, and people lose trust in the institutions that are supposed to protect their rights.
The Real Threat to Democracy is a Rigged System, Not Donald Trump
For all the Democrats’ talk about Trump being a danger to democracy, it’s their own actions that have many Americans worried. Free speech is under siege. Government institutions are being weaponized. The media and Big Tech have created an environment where only certain views are allowed to flourish. If democracy is indeed in danger, it’s not because of one man—it’s because of a political and cultural system that’s increasingly intolerant of dissent.
If Democrats and their allies in the media truly care about democracy, they need to start by looking in the mirror.
They need to ask themselves why so many Americans, even those who don’t believe in “stolen election” theories, feel that the system is rigged against them. They need to recognize that a healthy democracy requires more than just elections; it requires a fair and open public square where all voices have a chance to be heard.
Until Democrats are willing to defend the same freedoms they claim to champion, they’ll continue to alienate Americans who see through the hypocrisy. If they want to be the party that “saves democracy,” then they need to stop treating half the country like enemies. Because the real threat to democracy isn’t Donald Trump. It’s a system that refuses to allow free speech, tolerates no dissent, and uses every tool at its disposal to silence the opposition.
