Whenever a new president is sworn into office and takes his seat at the White House, questions about their legitimacy usually arises. This goes true with incoming US President Donald Trump as he is set to take over the highest post in the land from Barack Obama.
Just like his predecessors, the victory of Donald Trump in the US elections is being questioned. As reported by The Atlantic, previous chief executives had also been dubbed as "legitimate." Even if Hillary Clinton was the one who won, there will also be concerns about their legitimacy. Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis does not see Trump as the legitimate president as well as George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
Trump detractors like Lewis have a somewhat valid point. An article that appeared in Politomix stated the Russian hacking incident allegedly authorized by Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to destroy the presidential ambition of Hillary Clinton. Such is the disgust and disapproval of Democrat members of Congress that they are skipping the inauguration of Trump.
Another argument on the legitimacy of the Trump presidency is the issue being raised by FBI Director James Comey considering the investigation on the use of Hillary Clinton of a private email server which turned the favors to the side of Trump. The last issues concern him losing the popular vote by a wide margin. As reported by the website of New Hampster, George W. Bush was also illegitimate" because he won through a party-line vote.
But like in the past, questions of the legitimacy of a winning president simply die down and people easily move on. Obama was reelected in 2012 and will leave the White House with a strong approval rating. Likewise, George W. Bush was reelected in 2004 despite allegations that the elections of that year were hacked. And so when it comes to the presidency, all's well that ends well.
