Donald Trump's ongoing attacks on democracy in America are receiving attention all the way in Australia as the defeated former president continues his "Big Lie" of election fraud.
Farrah Tomazin, an investigative journalist and the North America correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald, warned the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was just a "dress rehearsal" for Republicans' next attempt to steal an election.
"One year after thousands of his supporters stormed the US Capitol, Donald Trump plans to mark the anniversary on January 6 with a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. It will be no mea culpa," Tomazin wrote in a New Year's Day analysis. "The insurgency left several people dead, about 150 police officers injured and a nation shocked and divided. But there is every reason to think that the January 6 attack was just the beginning for Donald Trump and his allies – and this time, they’re much better organised."
Even on the other side of Earth there are concerns about Republican attacks on democracy as Trump gears up to mount a comeback in 2024.
"Twelve months after America’s chamber of democracy was stormed by the foot soldiers of a former president trying to cling to power at any cost, Trumpists and partisan state legislatures are now working to undermine election processes right across the US," he explained. "They’re much less violent than an angry mob descending on Congress after being told to 'fight like hell' – but far more insidious, strategic, and potentially damaging to democracy in the longer term."
Tomazin noted GOP voter suppression efforts Texas, Kansas, Georgia and Trump's efforts to solidify control in Alaska, Michigan, and Wyoming.
"It’s enough to make you wonder: were the events of January 6 simply a dress rehearsal for the main event? Time will tell. But in the battle between democracy and authoritarianism, the re-emergence of Donald Trump and his influence over the Republican Party will be one of the most important political events to watch as 2022 unfolds," he wrote.
Read the full analysis.
