Donald Trump is not the first anti-democratic demagogue to attract a strong following, and he will not be the last. American institutions can weather such challenges and come out even stronger, but only if pro-democracy forces mobilize and demonstrate that the system can deliver meaningful results for ordinary people.

BOSTON – An overhauled Democratic ticket has re-energized the party and eliminated the widening polling lead that former US President Donald Trump had over his successor, Joe Biden. There is much to admire in Kamala Harris and Tim Walz’s backgrounds, careers, and recent campaign speeches, which have focused on fighting poverty, improving the lot of working people, reclaiming patriotism from Republicans, and strengthening democracy. But even setting aside these virtues, there are good reasons to support the Democratic ticket. After all, the alternative is Trump, who poses such a serious threat to US institutions that any halfway decent candidate running against him would deserve strong support.