Biden's Credibility Problem

During the initial period of racial unrest after the police killing of George Floyd, the Soufan Center pointed out that global perceptions of America as racially oppressive may diminish our credibility abroad as a leader in human rights. If President Trump continues to sow doubt about the legitimacy of our election, the same thing may happen to our credibility as a democracy. 

Though most of the government seems to have accepted Joe Biden as the President-elect and is preparing accordingly, President Trump has refused to accept his defeat or issue a formal concession, instead pursuing seemingly baseless allegations of voter fraud in multiple state courts. Though many predicted that Trump could refuse to accept defeat, what’s more surprising and concerning is the extent to which he has developed a sphere of influence willing to echo these allegations, in whole or in part: Congressional Republicans have insisted that the election is not over and some have even concurred outright with the assertion that voter fraud took place. Though some conservative media have pushed back on Trump’s claims, other prominent conservative media outlets–both mainstream and alternative–have begun to “investigate” (and provide dubious evidence for) their veracity. Finally, surveys show that only about 20% of Republicans believe that Biden won legitimately, and a YouGov survey found that 75% of respondents (across both parties) believe that some fraud occurred–though only 3% of Biden voters (as opposed to 81% of Trump voters) claimed that it was sufficient to alter the outcome.

While all of this is relatively established news, far less established is its implications for the U.S.’s credibility as a promoter of global democracy. Though any damage in this vein can be attributed to Trump, it is still very much Biden’s problem: the success of his administration’s global policy endeavors, particularly at the Department of State, will arguably depend on the extent to which he can restore the United States’ image. Though U.S. defense resources are still highly sought-after, no emerging democracy worth its weight in ballots would look to the U.S. as a moral leader at this moment. By no fault of his own, Biden will take the helm of a country that can hobble its own democracy from within based on the dying gasps of a would-be autocrat. (While it's rare to see metaphorical dying gasps come in the form of 3am tweets, these are, after all, "unprecedented times.") America’s treatment of minorities has had a clear impact on our credibility as a bastion of human rights, and our credibility as a beacon of democracy is quickly following suit. While there is reasonable debate about the merits and ethics of promoting democracy abroad, all of our leaders have a stake in maintaining the functionality of our own elections–and that means loudly condemning and correcting the lies that hurt our democracy here at home.