Yesterday, Donald Trump used military officers to clear a path for him -- a path to a church, where he stood -- flanked by members of his administration, a Bible in his hand. Trump is no Christian. But he is a fascist. And the United States now stands on the brink. Paul Krugman writes:
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that America as we know it is on the brink.
How did we get here? The core story of U.S. politics over the past four decades is that wealthy elites weaponized white racism to gain political power, which they used to pursue policies that enriched the already wealthy at workers’ expense.
Until Trump’s rise it was possible — barely — for people to deny this reality with a straight face. At this point, however, it requires willful blindness not to see what’s going on.
The original sin of American democracy has never been cleansed from the body politic. And now -- in the person of Trump -- it appears naked and unapologetic:
I still see occasional news reports that describe Trump as a “populist.” But Trump’s economic policies have been the opposite of populist: They have been relentlessly plutocratic, centered largely on a successful effort to ram through huge tax cuts for corporations and the rich, and a so far unsuccessful attempt to take health insurance away from poor and working-class families.
Nor have Trump’s trade wars brought back the good jobs of yore. Even before the coronavirus plunged us into depression, Trump had failed to deliver major employment growth in coal mining or manufacturing. And farmers, who supported Trump by large margins in 2016, have suffered huge losses thanks to his trade wars.
So what has Trump really offered to the white working class that makes up most of his base? Basically, he has provided affirmation and cover for racial hostility.
And nowhere is this clearer than in his relationship with the police.
Krugman is clear: Most police officers are not on Trump's side of the race war. But that's what this is. And it soon could become a new civil war -- with Christian Fascists leading the charge.
Image: PRI
