Neither Law nor Order

Protesters, and not Trump, are the ones who represent the very best of the U.S.

Donald Trump will now cling to the economic rally of the unemployment numbers registered in the month of May: Since the reopening started, 2.5 million jobs were created. Unemployment is still at 13.3%, a higher number than those recorded during the 2008 recession, and only lower than that of 1929. And the worst thing is that unemployment keeps growing precisely among African American citizens, the injured party throughout: from the impact of the pandemic to the incarceration rate, as well as police brutality.

Trump will once again be tempted by the dream of a booming economy that will boost him in the presidential election. However, these 10 days of protests—increasingly widespread and peaceful, aimed directly at his inflammatory campaign of law and order—are changing the political landscape. His four living predecessors—Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama—have highlighted the huge political and moral distance between them and the current president. A wide range of former military leaders—including a former defense secretary, Jim Mattis, and even Mark Esper, current holder of the position—have expressed their disagreement with the intent of applying a law that dates back to 1807, called the Insurrection Act, that would allow the deployment of the military against protesters.

Discontent has already reached the Republican base, as polls have started to reflect, and Trump’s status is now eroding among evangelical voters, who are his most loyal base. He has confronted military officers, governors and the mayor of Washington DC, in the District of Columbia, where the White House is located. There, he managed to deploy military personnel—as he wanted to do across the country—and unconstitutionally limit the right to protest. Feeling resentful and humiliated for the whole hour the Secret Service kept him in the presidential bunker, he had the crazy idea of ordering the dispersal of the demonstrators with tear gas and the use of an armored helicopter in a threatening way so he could walk across the square in front of the White House and pose, Bible in hand, before a church frequented by presidents, which is where he showcased the slogan of law and order with which he intends to win in the November presidential election.

Thanks to Trump, the health crisis and the economic recession have already become a crisis of state. It affects his government, with the Pentagon chief openly voicing his dissent. It affects the validity of the Constitution, compromised on a daily basis by police forces that arrest demonstrators merely for protesting peacefully. Trump is increasingly isolated, advised by his family and driven on by the worst ideas of such bad advisers. His irresponsible behavior—encouraging police excesses—has reversed his slogan: However much Trump strives to turn the protests into an extremist conspiracy, the civic and even patriotic nature of those who take to the streets is increasingly clear.

With Trump, there is neither law nor order, just infringement of rights and a lack of safety for all. Peaceful protesters, and not this unhinged president, are the ones who defend and stand for the very best constitutional values of the United States.