Earlier this month, I traveled to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania — where General George Washington rallied American soldiers against a tyrannical king at the height of the Revolutionary War — to hear President Joe Biden deliver a powerful, heartfelt address in defense of our democracy.
In that speech, President Biden reminded us not only that our Founding Fathers created a form of government that was new and revolutionary, but that the future of that democracy will be on the ballot this year.
The stakes for our nation and our democracy have been at risk many times over the course of our history, but never more so than this year, when Americans will be asked to choose between a democracy that has served as a beacon of hope around the world, or an authoritarian regime that legitimizes violence and division.
Jan. 6th, 2021, was a day of insurrection. The day that then-President Donald Trump encouraged his supporters to storm the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the will of the American people. Rioters were set on attacking whoever was in their way, including Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a rampage designed to permanently destroy our founding principle of the peaceful transfer of power.
As Americans, we were forever changed by that day — except for Trump. In his current campaign for president, former president Trump seems set on taking back the power he lost and then some, installing himself as a singular ruler, regardless of what American voters decide.
In his speech, President Biden clearly and unequivocally laid out the two options that will be before the American people in the 2024 election:
The first is George Washington’s vision of a country governed by the people, with free elections and a peaceful transfer of power.
The other is Trump’s vision for a dictatorship — led by himself — that abandons the peaceful transfer of power, just like he tried to get his supporters to do on January 6th.
This year, the choice is up to us.
Rhode Islanders are no stranger to these sorts of choices. During the American Revolution, we were among the first to reject the unjust reach of British tyranny when Abraham Whipple and John Brown boarded the HMS Gaspee in Newport, R.I., in the dead of night in 1772.
In the United States, there is no room for a king, no room for one man rule, and no tolerance for the violent seizing of power. This year, voters face a choice between standing up for American democracy and protecting the self-government that we fought so hard to establish nearly 250 years ago, or falling back into tyranny, and giving in to minority rule.
Our state has a proud history of rejecting tyrannical dictators. In 2024, I urge Americans to watch the President’s Valley Forge address and honor our heritage as we once more lead the country in standing up for our democracy.
Dan McKee is the Governor of Rhode Island
