Do Donald Trump’s criminal convictions put American democracy at risk?

Do Donald Trump’s criminal convictions put American democracy at risk? | GZERO World
From the day former president Donald Trump took office, political analysts and Democratic leaders worried his presidency would erode democratic norms and safeguards. But even after a democratic crisis as violent and alarming as January 6, America’s democratic institutions held up. But are Trump’s guilty verdicts in the New York hush money case an even bigger threat to our democracy?On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer asks former US attorney Preet Bharara and New Yorker columnist Susan Glasser what the conviction means for the 2024 US presidential election and America’s political institutions moving forward. Both Glasser and Bharara warn that the unprecedented shattering of democratic norms can have huge implications for the health of democracy as a whole, and just America’s institutions survived crises like January 6 doesn’t guarantee they’ll remain intact in the future.

“Having crossed the Rubicon [of January 6],” Glasser says, “I think that the idea that we’re just treating this as a normal election between two warring tribes with different ideologies is really what history is going to remember about this moment, unfortunately.”

“We’ve grown accustomed to the luxury of repeated, peaceful transfers of power,” Bharara adds, “There’s nothing that guarantees that just because the US has been a great democracy, it will persist in being democratic.”

Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week on US public television (check local listings) and online.

More from GZERO Media

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), speaking alongside Republican leadership House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), left, House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-MD), second from left, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), right, during a press conference at the United States Capitol on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.
People in Damascus celebrate after the Kurdish-led and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed to integrate into Syria's new state institutions.
REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

The SDF militia, which controls a vast swathe of Northeastern Syria, will integrate into the national government.

Filipino activists hold candles during a protest vigil supporting former President Rodrigo Duterte's arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, March 11, 2025.
REUTERS/ Peter Blaza

Philippine authorities on Tuesday arrested former President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila on an International Criminal Court warrant for alleged crimes against humanity linked to his deadly drug crackdown.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford prepares to speak to an American news outlet in his office at the Queens Park Legislature in Toronto on Monday, March 10, 2025.

Chris Young/The Canadian Press via ZUMA Press via Reuters

In a major development on Tuesday, Ontario, Canada, suspended its 25% surcharge on exports of electricity to Michigan, New York, and Minnesota. The announcement followed US President Donald Trump’s threat Tuesday morning that tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports would increase from 25% to 50% starting March 12. Ford’s change or heart prompted Trump to reverse course as well.

- YouTube

With recent tensions between Zelensky and Washington, how likely are the Saudi-hosted peace talks to yield real progress? Are we on the cusp of a nuclear proliferation era as Poland and Germany talk of acquiring nuclear weapons? Does Justin Trudeau's replacement, Mark Carney, have a shot of winning Canada's general election? Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week on World In :60.