After 57 years in the Maryland General Assembly and Congress, Sen. Ben Cardin retires in January. This is another in a series of exit interviews with the long-serving Democrat from Baltimore and chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. We spoke a week after Election Day.
Dan Rodricks: First, your reaction to the election of Donald Trump to another term as president.
Ben Cardin: I think it’s very damaging to our country. It’s damaging to the free world. U.S. leadership is not going to be what we need to deal with the fight against autocratic regimes or for the climate agenda or the migration issues. The United States will not be in leadership, and that’s not good. On the domestic side, in regards to immigration, gun safety, the environment, a fair budget, it’s going to be very, very damaging to this country and we’ll pay a heavy price. … Now, having said that, if I could pick any place in the world to live, I’ll pick the United States of America. I think we’ll get through this. I know we’ll get through this. Our democratic institutions will survive. I think you’ll see courage develop in places that you did not expect, including in Congress and the courts, and that will act as a check and balance. I believe activism, in order to protect our values, is more important than ever. And you’re going to see that activism in this country to protect our rights. So I have optimism about America’s future…