WATCH: CNN Host Says Claiming America Is A Republic Is A 'Threat To Democracy'

A recent CNN segment went viral on Monday after CNN reporter Donie O'Sullivan argued that Republican claims that the United States is a constitutional republic is an "attack on democracy." The segment, which included multiple interviews with Trump supporters, has faced considerable criticism on social media with many conservatives citing America's founding documents as evidence against CNN's segment.

President Biden touts his re-election campaign as a fight to preserve democracy. But if you ask some Trump supporters, the former president is not a threat to democracy because the United States is not a democracy," CNN host Omar Jimenez said in the segment's opening. The network then cut to multiple interviews with Trump supporters who explain to O'Sullivan that America was founded as a republic as outlined in the Constitution.

"For centuries, America has celebrated its democracy," O'Sullivan said. "But some Republicans and pro-Trump media are pushing the idea that America is not a democracy." The CNN segment then transitioned to an interview with author Anne Applebaum, who argued that Trump supporters believe that America is a republic because it works to Trump's advantage. "You are hearing people say America is not a democracy because there are people around Trump who want them to be saying that, who are planting that narrative," Applebaum said. "Honestly, the word democracy and the word republic have often been used interchangeably."

"If they can convince people that we don't have a democracy, then it is okay that Trump is attacking democracy because it doesn't really matter," CNN's expert argued. "These words were used in different ways in the 18th century, and it's true that the Founders didn't want direct democracy, which meant people gathering on the town square; they wanted representative democracy. But I think the reason why this conversation about language has risen now is because there is a part of the Republican Party that would like to rule as a minority, and they need an excuse for why that's okay, so they have begun to say, 'We're not a democracy, we're a republic.' It's not a hundred percent clear what that means, but I think they mean we want Donald Trump to be able to do whatever he wants."

Following the segment's completion, O'Sullivan gave his own interpretation of the interviews he had with the Trump supporters, where he argues that Republican claims are an "attack on democracy." "There is of course a legitimate debate and discussion to be had on what form of democracy that we have here in the United States," he said. "But this is not actually a debate about government, about democracy. It is an attack on democracy. People have heard the warnings that Trump is a danger to democracy, and therefore, you have people trying to convince others that the United States isn't a democracy in the first place and therefore, Trump can't be a threat."

The CNN segment shows that the producers at the network and O'Sullivan have clearly never taken the time to read up on the Constitution. Article 4, Section 4 states that "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence." America was formed as a constitutional republic, and the Founding Fathers established the American system to prevent the majoritarian tyranny that comes with democracy.

CNN Reporter Claims Trump Supporters Calling America A Republic Is 'An Attack On Democracy' pic.twitter.com/XQP3AQ8KY9

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