The United States Has Plunged off the Precipice: The Inevitable Conclusion of Trump’s America
We are witnessing the natural culmination of a presidency built on the antagonisation and disregard of democratic norms.
The world has acknowledged in action, if not in words, the demise of the United States — in both domestic matters and its reputation on the world stage. Not only has the last 72 hours signified a new reckoning for Americans who believe that their democracy is way too strong to fail, but the veil has been lifted on the dangerous psychology of Trump — a narcissist, willing to launch an attack on the constitution, Congress and American democracy as a whole, in his quest to retain power. Violent supporters of the President breached the Capitol as lawmakers met to confirm President-elect Biden’s poll win.
It takes a master demagogue to weaponise unstable individuals and aim them at political enemies. Trump’s term as President of the United States has at its very core, showcased hateful rhetoric, a continuous dereliction of duty, tyrannical leadership and unhinged policy decisions; America, his incubation ground for violence. The Hollywood-esque images of Wednesday, of chaos and violence at the heart of American democracy is a powerful depiction of a country that once believed itself to be ‘the cradle of democracy’. The notion of American exceptionalism became undone before our very eyes in the natural culmination of a presidency built upon wilful ignorance, greed and the antagonisation and disregard of democratic norms.
The contrast between President Trump and President-elect Biden’s speeches following the attack at the Capitol is damning. Whilst one further incites violence, spurts fake narratives and appears otherwise disengaged, the other inspires and calls for an end to the chaos. Instead of condemning the violence, Trump empathises with them:
“I know your pain. I know you’re hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us”.
His refusal to condemn these acts is unsurprising and fits the narrative perfectly, considering the pattern of extremist and white supremacist rhetoric that he has spurted over the last few years. He built his political support base by promoting such conspiracy theory as early as 2011. The events of Wednesday were in no way an isolated incident — Trump-supporting armed militias often use violence, fear and intimidation, more recently seen in the wake of the anti-racism protests.
Once the preserve of fringe white nationalist groups in the Southern Belt and the ‘Southern Strategy’, toxic political notions of racist superiority, the inflammation of racial grievances for political ends and attempts to build a notion of an embattled white majority which seeks to defend its power by any means necessary, have increasingly infiltrated the mainstream of American political and cultural discussion, and are ever potent.
Particularly interesting, is that for years, Western democracies have looked down on other countries that are seemingly unable to govern themselves. The world looks at failed states and ‘third world’ countries as the pinnacle of poor governance and ethnic conflict, but the United States has removed its veil and unmasked itself as a divided nation itself. No longer an image of perfection, but a place within which fascism is a power to be reckoned with. In the United States’ role as the cradle of democracy, it has often invaded other countries and nations under the auspices of bringing democracy. One needn’t be called superficial when drawing comparisons between Wednesday’s carnage to the images of Iraq’s 2016 parliamentary protest, the 2015 Taliban attacks on parliament, or even Egypt’s successful coup attempt in 2013.
Trump’s politicisation of victimhood is also a theme pellucid throughout his presidency, referring to protesters’ removal of Confederate monuments as an attempt to make people ashamed of American history, dubbing COVID-19 as the ‘China virus’ which ripped through the US and stating that they must pay for what they have done. In its most dangerous manifestations, this rhetoric is used to excuse violence or to rationalise murder. Trump is the author of the lethal attack on the heart of American democracy, has left fertile ground for white supremacists and the shocking events of Wednesday are just a snapshot of what is to yet to come with Biden’s official inauguration on January 20th.
The most stark implication of the US 2020 election result is that half of the United States voted to re-elect Trump, having witnessed four years of madness and asked for more. Over the last four years we have observed an America whose leader showcased an absence of emotional intelligence and empathy, one who struggles to relate to human suffering; a leader deficient in expertise and knowledge. Astounding to me, is that millions of Americans saw four years of erratic behaviour, the exacerbating of racial tensions, forced child separations under Trump’s family separation policy (one of a magnitude of unhinged policy ideas) and asked for a repeat. Trump’s 74 million followers will undeniably cause havoc like we cannot imagine. His ruin will not cease on inauguration day and will change the course of Biden’s presidency.
We are drawing closer to the last days of Trump as President, but it is necessary for an article of impeachment to be drawn up immediately. The 25th amendment should be pushed for and if not at the very least, he must be impeached for a second time. The gravity of his conduct is such that he should not be allowed to run for public office again. It will undeniably send a powerful message and set a precedent for correct Presidential conduct.
For more written work: ChevBadiOnPolitics.com
