Europeans Looking at Trump
It’s hard for some of my fellow Europeans to understand why Trump is sending the military to US cities.
It’s hard for me to understand why some of my fellow Europeans support Trump wannabes in the EU and UK.
Let me take on both topics today.
First, for those who are confused about why a US president has declared war on US cities: this is not just party-political ugliness. Yes, Republican Trump is targeting cities run by the opposing Democratic Party. He wants to punish those who didn’t vote for him, as well as mayors and others who refuse to fall in line with him. Sure, it’s a partisan attack.
However, there’s something deeper going on, as well.
To Trump and many Trump supporters, “cities” and “urban” are code words for “black”. The names of certain cities in particular, like Chicago, have long been used by Trumpists to send this message in their public comments. Deploying troops to these cities is a way for Trump to demonstrate to his whites that he’s dominating blacks. It’s a way to show his commitment to white dominance.
Some white folks in the US will be cheering him on, too. It’s not because they have any interest in these cities – many haven’t stepped foot in these cities for years, if ever – but because they like Trump showing “them” who’s boss. “Them” means black and brown folks.
Now, I know not everything in US politics and society can be boiled down to race, but a heck of a lot can, and this one is clear cut. Assaulting cities is sending a signal of white supremacy.
OK, so let’s move on to the second issue: why would anyone in Europe (including the UK) look at what’s happening in the US and think, “yeah, that’s what my country needs, too”? It’s bizarre.
And yet, the Trump wannabes over here keep getting support. They have almost exactly the same messages – moaning endlessly about immigrants, LGBT folks, and other minorities. They offer the same “solutions”: brutal policies that crush people’s rights and opportunities.
Of course, deporting immigrants or denying a gay couple the right to adopt will never help voters who support such nasty policies. It will never make those voters’ lives better. It will only make other peoples’ lives worse.
That’s how powerful hate can be in politics. Some people will even forget about their own self-interest. They don’t care if the government is helping them or not. As long as the despised target group is getting whacked.
What’s happening in the US right now shows where it leads. Politicians who push imagined threats of internal enemies always head in this direction: towards state violence against innocent people. It’s true for Trump today, and it’s true for his European and British copycats – or will be soon, if they continue to fool enough of the public.
The descent of the US into authoritarian mass violence should be a warning to all of us here on the other side of the pond. A military assault on your own cities? Nuts. This is not the road we want to go down.
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Quick links:
Not funny: Authorities in Saudi Arabia want you to think they’re up for a laugh, hosting the “Riyadh Comedy Festival”. As the Human Rights Foundation points out, the timing couldn’t be less amusing. Seven years ago this week, Saudi agents murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and hacked his body to pieces. In 2021, US intelligence concluded Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself had approved the operation.
Not familiar: The podcast Empire has been running a multi-part series on the history of Gaza. It’s super. I’ve been learning so much. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and probably other places, too.
Not well: This piece in The Atlantic by Tom Nichols about Trump’s deranged speech to the US military top brass is worth a read: “The Commander in Chief Is Not Okay”
Not hopeless: “You may not be able to solve global problems, but there’s a lot you can do to make this a more peaceful world...” – Jane Goodall (1934-2025) Watch this.
