Mocking of U.S. Supreme Court offers lessons for whole-process people's democracy

Editor's note: Anthony Moretti, a special commentator for CGTN, is an associate professor at the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership at Robert Morris University in the U.S. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of either CGTN or Robert Morris University.

Within hours of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that most of the tariffs issued by President Donald Trump were unconstitutional, the president quickly responded with his typical anger and self-righteousness. He mocked the Supreme Court, suggesting that it was "disloyal to our Constitution" and "swayed by foreign interests." Now, it's been announced by the president that 15% of the global tariffs will be imposed up from 10% which he decided less than 24 hours.

Trump added that he was "ashamed" of two of the justices for siding with the majority. He quickly promised other alternatives available to him would be used to bring "in hundreds of billions of dollar" through tariffs to the U.S. Treasury. His words and actions again disgraced the office he has held for five of the past nine years. No one should have been surprised by his behavior.

In an effort to offer a more sober response, multiple Republicans asked him to consider working with Congress to create a tariff structure that would pass legal scrutiny. Some actually endorsed the Supreme Court decision. Recognizing how compliant Congressional Republicans have been to every action undertaken by Trump, these suggestions and actions must be acknowledged: Republicans showed a spine, something that has been missing for too long.

Regardless of whether the president accepts any advice from his fellow Republicans, there is a valuable lesson for the global audience to see. America's democratic process is horribly broken. This president adopted a strategy criticized domestically and internationally, out of touch with principles of free trade and found inconsistent with the law, and he then sarcastically and childishly blamed the very institutions that protect the rule of law for daring to disagree with him.

Moreover, he has consistently run roughshod over Congress, an equal branch of power in America's democratic system, whether it comes to firing employees of independent agencies, ordering the military to engage in the overthrow of Venezuela's president or refusing to spend money authorized by Congress. And that is not the full list.

Perhaps worse, whether in his first full term or through the roughly 13 months of his second term, the occupant of the White House has ditched tradition and sought again and again to make himself not only above the law but responsible to no one but himself. Neighbors near and far have reacted with revulsion, justifiably concerned whether the U.S. has forever abandoned the principles it so often espoused in favor of some far-fetched definition of ethical leadership.

As this chaos unfolds in the U.S., it is wise to reflect on what continues to take place in China, deemed by this president to be a renegade nation determined to overthrow the global structure. That irony is rich.

China's whole-process people's democracy deserves attention here for offering a blueprint that allows for a true bottom-to-top legislative program leading to necessary conversations and decision making at the national level. Summarizing briefly, whole-process people's democracy recognizes the role of the people in not only participating in government but in also being critical evaluators of government. The people, whether from the most rural to the most urban parts of the country, are essential in judging how effectively the government is improving the lives of all Chinese people.

China's annual Two Sessions political gathering, which in 2026 begins in March, is the time when whole-process people's democracy is perhaps best on display. During the meetings connected with the Two Sessions, national legislators and political advisers present the concerns of the people relating to complex issues such as health care, education and more. Leaders are expected to listen and address how these challenges will be addressed.  

In effect, Chinese citizens are not, as happens every two or four years in the U.S. and other democracies, bombarded with campaign ads, subjected to often empty political promises and called upon to vote for one candidate or a series of issues, only to then be pushed to the sidelines as political elites squabble amongst themselves while pandering to their wealthy donors and the often compliant media. Instead, the Chinese people influence the agenda; they make a difference.

Whole-process people's democracy makes it impossible for any leader to consider himself or herself superior to the people, accountable to no one and above the law. Whole-process people's democracy prevents leaders from kowtowing to their wealthy benefactors in order to advance their chances of remaining in power. Whole-process people's democracy does not tolerate a leader putting on a display of defiance against legitimate governmental and legal institutions.

Does America need whole-process people's democracy? Perhaps not, but the people do deserve better than the fractured system currently operating. Unfortunately, and most especially obvious under the current government, they and the most respected, albeit flawed, institutions are trampled upon in favor of the greed of self-satisfaction. And to suggest that the president is, to borrow his words, "disloyal to our Constitution" risks being identified by his sycophants as an enemy of the people.

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