Whether it is pressuring Georgia’s top election official Brad Raffensperger to recalculate the vote or encouraging supporters to march to the Capitol to challenge the election outcome, former US president Donald Trump has repeatedly undermined the rule of law. Given that the Supreme Court and other state courts rejected Trump and his allies’ petitions to overturn the election results, Trump should have respected the courts’ decisions regarding the integrity of the vote. Using non-legal means to achieve what he could not achieve by law showed utter disregard for the court rulings and rule of law. It was sad to witness a great country which values the rule of law moving closer to mob rule during the Trump era. Given the example Trump set, it’s no wonder that there was a breakdown of law and order at the Capitol. The status of the United States – both as a global leader and a role model for many other countries – is partly derived from its respect for the rule of law and democracy. It is therefore necessary to sanction Trump – to send a message to the rest of the world that Trump does not represent American values. This should also be done urgently, as it is the only way to put a halt to any further and potentially irreversible damage to American democracy and the US’ status as a world leader. Lei Ming, Sham Tseng