DONALD Trump standing with a Bible declaring that he is on the “side” of peaceful protest is a grotesque absurdity. Moments before Trump gave his statement at the iconic St John’s Church (without permission), peaceful protesters had been gassed, beaten and shot with rubber bullets. All this to clear the way so the fascist clown could have his picture taken.

The irony is that Trump does not believe. He was asked to name his favourite Bible chapter and he could not. He regularly mocks Mike Pence for his religious fanaticism.

Since his impeachment trial Trump has eschewed constitutional norms. He has been contemptous of any restraints on his power. His speeches have made clear he intends to use violence and criminal means to remain in office.

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Last October Trump went to Minneapolis and gave a fascistic diatribe to an audience of police. In it he railed against the “far-left” mayor of Minneapolis and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. This is the city where George Floyd was killed.

Trump is attempting to build a fascist police state. An imperial dictatorship with himself at its head. He cheered on approvingly when armed thugs took over various US statehouses.

Trump presides over an empire in a state of advancing decay. He promised to “make America great again”. 40 million are unemployed, 100,000 are dead due to Covid-19, race riots are engulfing the country. All Trump did in response to all these crisis was take action against Twitter for daring to challenge his lies.

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Police brutally, torture and killing of black people is not the sole province of Trump. Nor will it end of he is removed from office. Western capitalism is built on the back of the genocide of the native people and slavery of black people.

This has left a legacy of structural economic inequality which feeds on a narrative of white supremacy. This fairytale says black people are feckless, lazy, less intelligent, sexually promiscuous. Code words are used – welfare queens, thugs, super predators, state’s rights.

This kind of covert racism has been Republican party policy since Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” in 1968.

Whenever there is an explosion of anger, the privileged corporate media will focus on looting. There will be the usual pious condemnation with no mention of economic exploitation.

Trump is a loathsome and even degenerate personality. A preposterous psychopath. His is a sordid presidency.

Trump exemplifies a plutocracy whose riches came from parasitism that is not dissimilar to the Mafia. His goonish bullying, cultural backwardness and disdain for the population is typical of bailed-out banksters, billionaire tax-avoiders, vulture capitalists, hedge fund managers, asset strippers, real-estate conmen and media barons. They have the US government in their pocket.

Alan Hinnrichs
Dundee