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President Donald Trump is facing down the very real possibility of being a one-term president. Once known only as a brash reality TV star who drove fancy lease cars and owned casinos, Trump is now best known for his uneven response to huge challenges during his presidency.
Among the most recent and troubling of those challenges have been the novel coronavirus pandemic and widespread racial inequality protests. Black Lives Matter protests have been daily occurrences across the nation for weeks. The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police spurred the protests. A widespread movement to defund police departments and bring about a more equitable America has gripped the nation.
At the same time, the president is doubling down on antagonistic rhetoric that divides instead of unites. Trump has not yet spoken on racial inequality in the wake of Floyd’s death. Instead, he’s doubled down on his tried-and-true strategy of vilifying political opponents and fomenting division between Americans.
Speaking recently of the new Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle, Trump threatened that if the mayor of Seattle didn’t disperse the protesters, he would. Earlier, Trump suggested the US military come in, threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act. However, these threats have come as the national mood is souring on overuse of force by authorities.
New polls have shown that a majority of Americans agree with the peaceful protesters. While protesters decry police brutality, scenes of police departments using tear gas and destroying medical stations have driven home the image of overly-brutal police action. Meanwhile, some police departments have whined that the media is treating them like “animals”. Irony might not be their strong suit.
Trump’s first rally in three months will be on June 19, in Tulsa. Tulsa, Oklahoma is the site of some of the worst racial violence in modern US history. In 1921, a mob of violent white people attacked and killed numerous black business owners and burned their businesses to the ground.
June 19 is also a major day for black Americans. It’s the anniversary of the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation to Texan slaves. On a day celebrating the end of slavery, Trump will hold a campaign rally in a historically racially-divisive town. In the midst of widespread racial protests. Even the most vocal of Trump’s supporters agree that the optics of this are poor.
Critics have slammed the move as being tone-deaf at best or a racist dog-whistle at worst.
