Image by Mirah Curzer.
America is both a democracy and a republic. Citizens hold supreme power, and so America is a republic. At the same time, it is obviously a representative democracy.
MAGA Republicans, however, like to say America is not a democracy, but a republic, which is ironic for the party that championed the spread of democracy throughout the Middle East. Democracy was their primary justification for the Iraq and Afghan wars during the George W. Bush administration. But that was 20 years ago...