This opinion piece, penned on May 31, 2020, June 1, 2020, and September 8, 2020, focused on the alarming actions demonstrated by then-President, Donald J. Trump. Four years later, upon reflection, my stance on Trump remains unaltered. He continues to pose a consequential threat, and all my concerns in the original piece have emerged.
Written May 31, 2020:
We all remember in August 2016, when Trump said, “What do you have to lose?” when he asked Blacks to vote for him during the November 2016 Presidential election instead of Hillary Clinton. That is Trump’s self-perception (what does he have to lose) as he loses control of this country with over 102K COVID-19 deaths in the U.S., 40 million unemployed Americans, and four days of nonstop protests throughout the country that led to sporadic looting, riots, and fires after a White Minneapolis, Minnesota, Police officer killed a Black man.
George Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sparked outrage and nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism. Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died after a White police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck for over nine minutes during an arrest. Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe, but his pleas were ignored. A bystander’s video of the incident went viral, bringing international attention to the case and leading to widespread calls for justice and four days of nonstop protests throughout the country.
Ask yourself, “What does he have to lose.” I will tell you what Trump has to lose: his EGO. A man with a bruised ego is a dangerous man. He has no control over the virus, no control over the protesters, and no control over this country. Consequently, his power is weakened with no control, his ego is damaged, and he becomes more dangerous as he loses control.
During the evening of May 29, 2020, and extending into the early hours of May 30, tensions heated up as a large crowd of demonstrators advocating against police brutality congregated in Lafayette Park, situated near the White House. Protesters chanted, “Hands up, don’t shoot,” and “I can’t breathe.” Frustration trickled among the crowd because Trump chose not to comfort the nation despite George Floyd’s tragic death being captured on video.
All the protesters sought was a sense of reassurance from the President. With protests sparking a global response, the nation found itself empty of any comforting statements from the President. Instead, Trump took to posting inflammatory Tweets concerning the protests.
On May 30, 2020, Trump indicated in a Tweet that protesters protesting police brutality would “have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen.”
….have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen. That’s when people would have been really badly hurt, at least. Many Secret Service agents just waiting for action. “We put the young ones on the front line, sir, they love it, and….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2020
The overall belief is that Trump’s inflammatory Tweet originated from his humiliation, triggered by reports of the Secret Service swiftly moving him to the White House’s underground bunker after there was a reported breach in the fence separating protesters from the White House. As a result of Trump’s hasty move to the White House bunker, Trump earned the nickname “Bunker Boy.”
The irony is Trump was escorted to the underground bunker at the White House for his “protection,” while the nation wanted him to acknowledge that citizens in this country were seeking “protection” from police brutality.
To make matters worse, during the protest close to the White House, Trump dubbed the evening of Saturday, May 30, 2020, as “Make America Great Again (MAGA) Night,” with the intention of mobilizing MAGA supporters to counter the protesters who had been addressing the issue of police brutality the night before.
On Saturday night, May 30, 2020, only a few MAGAs showed up in Washington, DC, to support Trump. I am assuming Washington, DC, is not an open-carry District, or maybe the MAGAs did not have a chance to mobilize on such short notice. Whatever the case, only a few showed up.
MAGAs usually appear in open-carry states where they can showcase their AR-15s and other assault-style rifles. It gives them the power and confidence they lack. One thing is for sure when there are more MAGAs, there is more trouble. They are fearless together and appear to be gaining momentum as Trump ramps up his racist rhetoric.
In several of my Tweets, I have indicated Trump will attempt to incite a Civil War. On Saturday, the MAGA night Tweet from Trump proved that when he summoned his supporters to show up in Washington, D.C. It is my belief he wanted a clash to occur between police brutality protesters and his MAGA supporters.
Before summoning MAGA supporters to counter-protest on May 30, Trump Tweeted on April 17, 2020, asking MAGA followers to liberate their states. Specifically, Minnesota, Michigan, and Virginia urging protests against COVID-19 lockdowns. Trump Tweeted minutes apart: “LIBERATE MINNESOTA!”, “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” and “LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!”
LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2020
On April 30, two weeks later, MAGAs executed that request, and armed MAGA protesters entered Michigan’s State Capitol to protest, demanding an end to the coronavirus lockdown with the thought of their 2nd Amendment being stripped away. Why did Trump strike a different tone and mention in his Tweet, “and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!” when the protest was about COVID-19 lockdowns? It seems that Trump was urging MAGA supporters to liberate their states by utilizing firearms in those open-carry states.
What will happen if Trump calls the MAGAs to mobilize on his behalf again? After all, what will he have to lose?
The death of Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer has ignited protests across the country. Some protests manifested in fires, looting, and rioting as people protested racial injustice for Floyd’s death. Those protesters are liberating, too. They are liberating in the way they know how. Although 95% of the protests were peaceful, we all should condemn the protest that involved the 5% that caused destruction. Protesters of all kinds were frustrated after witnessing the traumatic video of Floyd being killed, and the President of the United States took no action to provide solace to the country.
The protests are happening on Trump’s watch. Although Trump did not kneel on George Floyd’s neck with his knee that caused his death, he added fuel to the fire with an inflammatory Tweet on Thursday, May 28, before the protest happened across from the White House when he retweeted a video in which a supporter said, “The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat.” Twitter suspended that account. Later that evening, he mentioned in a Tweet, “Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!” It appears Trump was thanking law enforcement in advance if they were to shoot police brutality protestors.
….These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020
On Friday, May 29th, addressing the protest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Trump mentioned the words, “Looting leads to shooting,” again. Twitter also labeled this Tweet as “Glorifying Violence.”
Trump attempted to retract the tweet of May 28, 2020, but his efforts came too late. The message had already been conveyed, and its intended meaning was clear. Trump’s Tweets reflect his dangerous tendencies and project his desired outcome.
Looting leads to shooting, and that’s why a man was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Wednesday night – or look at what just happened in Louisville with 7 people shot. I don’t want this to happen, and that’s what the expression put out last night means….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020
Seeing the Tweet “When the looting starts, the shooting starts” and “Looting leads to shooting” sent shockwaves throughout the African-American community. That phrase made by Trump was first echoed during the height of the Civil Rights movement in December 1967 by then-Miami Police Chief Walter Headley during a news conference, who used that quote to announce a “get tough” policy for policing Black neighborhoods. Headley promised to use shotguns, dogs, and “stop and frisk” tactics. The New York Times reported Headley as saying, “We don’t mind being accused of police brutality.”
In October 2018, Trump described himself as a nationalist during a rally in Houston, Texas.
The late renowned poet Maya Angelou said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” This quote emphasizes the importance of paying attention to people’s actions and behaviors as indicators of their actual character. Trump is telling us who he is. He is a person who promotes division and chaos and engages in racist behavior.
Tamika Mallory, an activist and one of the organizers of the 2017 Women’s March, said it best during a press conference on May 29, 2020, following the killing of George Floyd, “We learned looting from you, we learned violence from you, so if you want us to do better, you do better!
Written June 1, 2020:
On June 1, 2020, one day after writing the post, who would have thought Trump would take unprecedented actions and bring in federal police on the streets in D.C. after accusing local police of being too weak on protesters? Officers appeared in riot gear and on horseback, fired gas canisters, used grenades containing rubber pellets to scatter peaceful protesters, and used low-flying helicopters to disperse the crowd. The protesters were gathered close to Lafayette Square in Washington, DC, by the White House as they protested the death of George Floyd.
After several law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Police, D.C. Park Police, Secret Service, and D.C. Police, employed their tactics on protesters, they cleared the way for Trump and his entourage to walk a few blocks from the White House to the historic St. John’s Church.
Trump walked between lined police officers with shields until he arrived in front of the church and held a bible. Trump did not quote any Bible scriptures or pray for the country. It was all for a staged photo opportunity at the expense of peaceful, bloodied protesters. Those are dangerous, desperate actions from a man aiming to project a sense of control as protesters demonstrated their First Amendment rights, allowing freedom of speech and the right to assemble peaceably.
Trump wanted the protest halted because thousands of protests throughout the country spawned their way across the globe, unlike anything I have witnessed in my lifetime. It was an unflattering look in Trump’s view on a global scale. As I reflect, the local police were not weak, as Trump claimed. In reality, Trump demonstrated weakness by using police agencies to assert control not warranted in the peaceful protest.
Trump is a dangerous, thin-skinned, feeble-minded man who projected his weaknesses by strong-arming innocent protesters. Trump is cowardly and uses others to carry out his unethical task.
Written September 8, 2020:
As of September 8, 2020, the United States has over 190k COVID-19 deaths and almost 6 million infected Americans. The U.S. still does not have a national testing plan, people wait for weeks to get test results, and the unemployment numbers have not changed. Our Congressional Republican Senate leaders are not acting on behalf of the people. They are acting on behalf of one dangerous man, Donald Trump.
Trump has one thing in mind, and that is winning the November 2020 Presidential election against the Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden.
If you agree with White Nationalists and their agenda, vote for Trump in November. If not, you should vote against him before he destroys this great Republic. Our Democracy is in shambles because of a man with little hands, low self-esteem, and an egotistical maniac.
Trump is a destructive man, and the only way to stop him is to vote against him on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, hold him accountable, and do everything possible so that he does not win and will never be allowed to hold public office again.
Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, known as the fixer, said in February 2019 in front of the Congressional House Oversight Committee, “I fear Trump won’t peacefully give up the White House if he loses the 2020 election.” Cohen has lied for Trump’s sake and has not disclosed all that he knows. Cohen can not be trusted, but I believe Cohen was 100% truthful with that statement. Trump’s ego will be bruised beyond belief if he loses in November. The same way Trump tried to summon MAGAs to go to D.C. on Saturday night, May 30, is what Trump will likely do if he loses in November.
I emphasize that may not stop Trump’s destruction once he is voted out of office. He may be weakened, but his past behavior is a window to his future behavior. I can not stress enough how dangerous that man is.
It is up to us as long as we breathe, walk, and talk. Our votes hold the key to the future.
There is an adage, “The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.” ~
