It's long been obvious that a second Trump term would entail naked, oligarchical rule. Behind the warm noises of being a "unifier" and a "peacemaker", his attacks on immigration, "foreign criminals", trans people, and the recognition of minorities by government institutions are megaphones for crack downs on the most marginalised and oppressed in US society. "Radical leftists" did not feature in Trump's roll call, but you can be sure that shutting out the right to be different will, as night follows day, include diversity of thought. All for the greater glory of America, you understand.
Yet there were some signs of one nation conservatism, that much abused canard, in Trump's address. He positively referenced African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans, he invoked the spirit of those he said had built the nation - the pioneers, the cowboys, the soldiers, the agricultural and autoworkers, a who's who of Uncle Sam's most masculine tropes. But inseparable from this was the baseless boosterism. This was day one of a new golden age, where America becomes the envy of the world and seeks to expand its frontiers. The acquiring-new-territory line might have raised some eyebrows, especially as Panama was referenced again, though Trump quickly passed on to adventures in space - including the stars and stripes on Mars.
What was different about this Trump as opposed to his 2017 vintage was the confidence, the comparative lack of tetchiness, and the annexation of hope to his project. It doesn't matter that unconstrained class rule is backward and a new round of social devastation is the likely consequence of big government cuts and deregulation, the proposed tariff programme, more fossil fuel extraction, and the coming assaults on democracy, accountability, and freedom. This speech was the recognition that scapegoating can only distract some of the people some of the time. Strapping SpaceX rocket boosters to reheated American exceptionalism is, for the audience at home, about exuding confidence and power, if not awe. "The impossible is what we do best", said Trump to a standing ovation.
Conquering the impossible, however, does not extend to the politically impossible. Cracks have already appeared in the Trump edifice over immigration, and between the oligarchical desire to gut the state and grassroots MAGA supporters dependent on social security to get by. And day one reminded us of the clash of egos too. Positive write ups of Trump's inauguration are threatened by Elon Musk's antics, who couldn't hold back his inner far right edgelord and saluted Hitler three times at a rally, earlier. Not exactly the cuddly One America vibes Trump's advisors want to convey for the moment.
To be sure, the second Trump presidency is a catastrophe in slow motion, an abject lesson in the failure of centrist managerialism. A taster of what much of Western Europe, including us, could look forward unless we're able to build rooted, mass alternatives to the politics of bullshit and bravado. The only people who can save us from this are ourselves.
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7 comments:
The link to the Hitler comments doesn’t work for me?
My own feeling is that the cracks in the MAGA coalition are much over-rated. Trump’s been re-elected and has two years of republican control. Money to the rich and some performative cruelty to immigrants and democratic cities will be the order of the day and the focus of legislative action. He cares mostly about posturing and raking in the dough. He doesn’t need the rubes in the red states anymore and their health care and jobs will be grist to the tax cut mill. Tough shit as far as I’m concerned. All Republicans and not a few Democrats will vote for this. They know which side their bread’s buttered.
Link sorted
I suspect a lot of the criticism and 'hot takes' are overblown.
Elon Musk makes a 'Nazi' salute, except it's clearly not, unless as a million internet memes suggest Kamala Harris, Hilary Clinton, and Barack Obama etc are now also 'Nazis' for making the same gestures? And yes, before anyone corrects me, I know it didn't count when they did it cos of 'reasons'. But it's getting nonsensical now.
The most amusing commentary I've read is from distressed 'opinionists' wailing about how democracy is under threat because too many people voted for things they don't like, so there's a need to protect democracy from err too much democracy.
But fundamentally Trump won because of the corruption of political elites, elites pushing policies which they themselves are insulated from the consequences of. I don't personally like Trump, but I'm hoping his mere presence will force a rethink on some of the more cultish and extreme developments in things like environmentalism and identity politics and the general decadence of the West.
"Cultish and extreme developments...and general decadence". The first two could be a very accurate description of the election of Trump and his firstest buddy, Musk. And if you wanted evidence of general decadence, that would also fit very well. Surely those two individuals are perfect exemplars of decadence. Both vastly wealthy, hugely egotistical, narcissistic, sociopaths looking to use their positions of responsibility entirely for their own benefit. I'm not saying that previous holders of high office haven't been selfishly driven, morally challenged and exploitative, but this surely takes it to a new low. Only 4 years ago Trump was egging on his supporters to ransack the Capitol and hang his own VP.
I suppose it is possible to believe that Trump, Vance et all are not members of the "political elite" and therefore rather than as much part of the problem of corruption as any other, somehow represent a solution. Weird, but whatever lens some see the world through obviously allows for such anomalies.
As for whatever gesture may or may not have been made or intended, and frankly I have no interest in what an emotionally incontinent overgrown overexcited teenager like Musk does or says, the evidence is overwhelming that his aspirations are to have as much power over others as is possible and to use it to amuse himself and further his own interests, regardless of the consequences to others. It is possible to be irredeemably vile without having to be a second you know who.
Hey Kamo, here's a video of your guy Musk doing a Nazi salute:
https://youtu.be/e2bbb-6Clhs
Could you provide videos of other politicians doing the same gesture. Since you claim they regularly do?
Sean, I think you must not have encountered Kamo before. His views mostly seem to be the kind which you might find expounded in the Telegraph. So when he talks about "decadence", you can read that as "progress" - anything which seems to be taking society further from what his childhood storybooks convinced him is its ideal form. A form in which egotistical narcissists probably figure as the heroes.
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