New Vanita Gupta:

Right now, the polls say Trump is losing the election. Fearful of losing, he is flexing power he doesn’t have to discourage people from exercising the power they do. But Trump succeeds only if voters fall prey to his intimidation tactics and decide not to cast their ballot. We cannot let this happen. Every vote matters. And if in November the people say Trump must go, he will have to go.

Authoritarian regimes take root when citizens give up on their democratic institutions as rigged and illegitimate; voters succumb to their fear of the party in power and choose to sit out. That’s why it’s vital to clarify what a U.S. president can and can’t do.