The Lesson France Learned from the Failure of US Democracy

Those Who Disregard the Rule of Law with Impunity Will Do So Again

The United States is no longer a true democracy. Its judiciary is no longer independent but instead operates under the dictates of the President. The opposition holds so little power that it is effectively unable to counter anything Trump’s administration incites.

There are many reasons the US reached this point. One of the most significant: the judiciary’s failure to prevent a law-breaking criminal from grasping for power. It seems that France has taken this lesson to heart, as evidenced by the conviction of Marine Le Pen.

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Democracy stands on many pillars. One of the most fundamental is the independence and separation of the judiciary, legislative, and executive branches. These create the well-known checks and balances that uphold democratic systems. Another crucial pillar is free speech and independent media. Equally important, however, is the legal punishment and disqualification of politicians who repeatedly break the law or engage in large-scale corruption. A politician with a history of criminal behavior will not suddenly become ethical when granted more power—even if that power is legitimized by democratic means.

In this regard, the US system has failed in two key instances.

The Second Impeachment After January 6th

In the aftermath of the Capitol attack—an attempted coup on US democracy incited by then-President Trump—an impeachment process was initiated. Had he been convicted, he would have been barred from holding political office for life, making a second Trump presidency impossible. However, by that time, not only had the political system been compromised, but large segments of the judiciary had also fallen under the influence of Trumpism. The remaining institutions lacked the courage to push back. Ultimately, the system failed to protect democracy from a despot.

Criminal and Civil Prosecutions

Trump is a repeat offender. The list of laws he has broken is longer than that of the average citizen. He has faced numerous criminal and civil cases across multiple states, including business-related fraud, bribery, and scandals involving sexual misconduct. Yet none of these prosecutions have resulted in a conviction severe enough to prevent him from running for office again—an alarming failure. Timely and decisive legal action could have prevented the authoritarian crisis the US now faces.

The Takeaway

Politicians who disregard the rule of law with impunity will continue to do so when granted governmental power.

France’s Lesson from Across the Atlantic

Today’s guilty verdict against Marine Le Pen and the severe sentence barring her from political office for five years may have safeguarded French democracy—for now. As the leader of France’s far-right movement, she has pursued a ruthless and corrupt agenda that threatens the rule of law. While her exclusion does not eliminate the danger posed by her party entirely, a snake without its head cannot strike.

As the US has demonstrated, authoritarian agendas require a leader who is both ruthless and unethical enough to ignore not just moral boundaries but legal restrictions and human rights as well. Without Marine Le Pen at the helm, the Rassemblement National will struggle to implement its radical vision.

Ultimately, the democratic decline in the US has had an unintended benefit: it has served as a warning to other Western democracies. The rise of authoritarianism in the US has shown how quickly a single anti-democratic leader can erode a nation’s democratic foundations. All it takes is widespread indifference and a lack of social and judicial resistance.

Let the US serve as a cautionary tale for democrats around the world—and let France be a model for how to confront authoritarianism before it takes hold.