2016: American voters are given a clear choice.

On one side: a competent, experienced public servant who had spent decades working in government, with a long record of policy expertise, diplomacy, and public accountability.

On the other side: a reality TV host with no governing experience, a documented history of lying, race-baiting, fraud, bankruptcies, and multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.

The result: Almost 63 million Americans choose Donald Trump, who launched his campaign calling Mexicans “rapists,” mocked a disabled reporter on camera, bragged about sexual assault on a hot mic, and began what would become an onslaught of lies through his first term in office.

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2020: Voters are again offered a choice between a competent, capable, dedicated public servant with a track record of success, and that very same lying, openly fascist sexual predator. The stakes were no longer hypothetical. After four years of chaos, corruption, and cruelty, Trump had revealed himself fully. He defended white supremacists in Charlottesville, tried to extort a foreign government to smear a political rival, botched the COVID-19 pandemic response leading to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths, tore children from their parents at the border, called fallen U.S. soldiers “suckers” and “losers,” and spread lies so relentlessly that misinformation became a permanent feature of life for Americans.

Result: Over 74 million Americans voted for him in a free and fair election, but that was not enough for him to win it.

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2024: The test is almost insultingly simple. Voters are once again offered a choice between a competent, capable, dedicated public servant with a track record of success, and historically divisive and dishonest figure.

Now, Trump is a two-time impeached former president who had incited a violent coup attempt to cling to power, resulting in death, injury, and the desecration of the U.S. Capitol. He publicly vowed to pardon the insurrectionists, declared that he would be a “dictator on day one,” called for terminating parts of the Constitution, praised authoritarian leaders, and told supporters that immigrants were “poisoning the blood” of the country — echoing the darkest rhetoric of the 20th century.

He was also now a convicted felon, found guilty on 34 felony counts in a state court, and facing dozens more federal and state charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of justice, and mishandling top-secret documents. And let’s not forget that he was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation in a civil trial. Donald Trump told Americans exactly who he was, over and over again.

Result: Over 77 million Americans look at all of that — the lies, the corruption, the cruelty, the authoritarianism, the criminal convictions — and say, “Yes! He should be president!”

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Once again, Trump is wreaking havoc against our democratic republic. He deployed troops (without the CA governor’s request) to crush immigration protests in Los Angeles. He restored Confederate names to seven U.S. Army bases, reversing efforts to remove racist symbols. He fired dozens of inspectors general, weakening independent oversight and raising concerns about government accountability. He issued executive orders ending birthright citizenship for some immigrants’ children and withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement. He reclassified thousands of federal employees as political appointees, making it easier to fire them based on loyalty rather than merit. He filled his cabinet with loyalists and controversial/unqualified figures, sidelining experienced experts. He reinstated harsh tariffs on China and other countries, disrupting trade and increasing costs for Americans. He aggressively promoted cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin and launched his own “TrumpCoin,” fueling speculation and accusations of self-enrichment and blatant corruption.

He continues to delegitimize elections and encourage voter suppression, he encourages extremist groups and fails to condemn violence, he attacks independent media and attempts to restrict free press … honestly, it is exhausting.

Maybe that’s why many Americans can look away from our democracy and human decency.

Maybe the problem isn’t just Trump. Maybe the problem is that a large part of this country wants what Trump offers — the anger and vengeance, beliefs free from truth and facts, the us-vs-them worldview — and is perfectly willing to trade away democracy, decency, and the rule of law to get it.