The recent Republican Party Convention, which nominated Donald Trump as his party’s presidential candidate in the lawns of the White House, is indicative of Trump’s willful disregard of established traditions and conventions. It is the first time that a party presidential candidate has been nominated in the White House. It also suggests that Trump already regards himself as his rightful successor in his White House irrespective of election outcome, because if, by any chance, he is not declared the winner, he will declare the election rigged and call in his storm troopers.
And they are now there by way of militias, elements of the police force, the old Ku Klux, now rejuvenated under Trump and all sorts under one general conspiracy theory -QAnon–, which started on the anonymous board 4chanin 2017, including the baseless allegation that President Donald is working to expose a ring of paedophiles run by figures, including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and the “deep state”. Trump has shared posts from QAnon followers on his social media accounts and said that, “I’ve heard these are people that love our country.” In other words, Trump and his assorted supporters of all sorts of shady background are the real patriots trying to save the United States.
And in a larger context, Trump is bracketing the Democrats with radicals, leftists and anarchists of his imagination who are behind protests against racial violence and injustice and police brutality. Visiting the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, racked by protests from racial violence against blacks, and with a Democratic mayor and state governor, Trump reportedly said, “These are not acts of peaceful protests, but domestic terror.” And he seemed to suggest that his federal government stood between chaos and order. Asked if he believed police violence against African Americans was systematic, which is evident, he said, “I don’t believe that.” On the other hand, ” I think the police do an incredible job.”
In fact, he is aligning with the so-called law and order forces, like police, national guards and the like that love this country. His image of chaos in the US is represented by, as he reportedly said, “Reckless, far-left politicians [who] continue to push the destructive message that our nation and our law enforcement are oppressive or racist.” And these radical elements supposedly have involvement, encouragement and support of the Democrats in all sorts of ways, thus creating disorder and chaos. And the only way to protect the country is to re-elect Trump as the country’s President.
Many White voters would tend to incline on the side of the so-called law and order, when the optics of breakdown of law and order tend to be so magnified
And he seems to be saying to his supporters that he knows you want me as your President, and only a rigged election (by the deep state or whatever) might rob you (the people) of your choice. And if that were to happen, ‘patriotic’ Americans will rise up to seize powerto entrench their leader. It is reminiscent of Hitler’s rise in Nazi Germany.
Mayor Ted Wheeler, whose city of Portland has seen protests and violence in the last few months, blasted Trump and said, ” You have tried to divide us more than any figure in modern history and now you want me to stop the violence you helped create? What America needs is for you to be stopped so that we can come back together as one America.” He added, “Do you seriously wonder, Mr. President, why this is the first time in decades that America has seen this level of violence?” Trump hit back by calling Wheeler “a wacky Radical Do Nothing Democrat Mayor”, and said that, ” The only way you will stop the violence in the high crime Democrat run cities is through strength”, apparently through more state violence.
The point is many White voters would tend to incline on the side of the so-called law and order, when the optics of breakdown of law and order tend to be so magnified. The fact is, according to a report produced by the non-profit Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), about 93 per cent of the racial justice protests that swept through the United States this summer were peaceful and non-destructive. But the image is that African Americans, their supporters and other anarchist forces are bent on destroying America, and Trump is the country’s savior.
In this kind of imagery of the US plunging into anarchy, even the pandemic that is ravaging the US more than any other country in the world under this President doesn’t seem to affect his electoral prospects. The point is whether Trump wins or loses, he is going to declare himself the winner and what will happen after that is anybody’s guess.
The writer is a senior journalist and academic based in Sydney, Australia