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Photo: Evan Vucci / AP
Trump has already signaled that he does not intend to accept the election result if he loses.
Armed militia opening fire in the streets. Militant protesters vandalizing.
A president who is already goading his followers by talking about a rigged election.
How close is the United States to a civil war?
It may seem excessive to raise the issue of civil war in a normally stable and prosperous country like the United States. But there are probably grounds for concern about development when it is power itself that contributes to inciting hatred and contradictions.
The normal role of the state is to maintain law and order without increasing polarization in society.
In recent weeks, we have seen how the American police have behaved brutally not only against those who burn and destroy cars, but also against peaceful protesters and the corps of journalists.
Also, revelations continue about how white cops murder blacks, most recently the case of Daniel Prude in Rochester, New York, which is very reminiscent of when George Floyd was strangled by police in Minnesota. Floyd’s death triggered a wave of protests.
Accuse biden
President Trump has further inflamed the situation by dispatching the National Guard to cities affected by unrest. Not infrequently against the will of the local mayors. Instead, Trump accuses challenger Joe Biden and his party of being responsible for the violence.
Trump has also very clearly sided with one side in the protests.
When a 39-year-old man who belonged to a right-wing militia was shot dead in Portland a week ago, Trump hailed him. When the 48-year-old antifa activist, suspected of being behind the fatal shooting, was shot to death by police as they were about to arrest him, Trump praised the police.
When a 17-year-old who traveled to Kenousha, Wisconsin to “protect the city” from protesters shot dead two people, the president quickly sided with him, claiming he was acting in self-defense.
It is reminiscent of the president’s actions when far-right groups demonstrated in Charlottesville three years ago and one of them killed a female counter-protester. Instead of condemning far-right violence, Trump said “there are good and bad people on both sides.”
But what he is really doing is presenting himself as the advocate for white Americans in a situation where the white percentage of the population is declining.
He wants to change the focus of the pandemic
If Donald Trump is to win the November presidential election, the focus must be on more than just the crown pandemic, which he so mishandled. Therefore, the president is interested in moving the demonstrations in the United States from being a question of police violence against blacks to a question of maintaining law and order.
It is clear that the many right-wing militias in the United States feel empowered by President Trump’s rhetoric. They may even feel that you are indirectly urging them to take to the streets to “help” the police to maintain order.
The 2016 elections already showed that contradictions have increased in the United States. An atmosphere that Donald Trump managed to capture and turn into his winning strategy. Since then, it has gotten even worse. Right now, there are a number of factors working together to create an explosive cocktail.
In the United States, the crown is not just a pandemic, but a political minefield that helps further divide the population. It is seen as a political trademark whether one wears a mouth guard or not or is prepared to follow strict restrictions.
Very dangerous situation
This spring, a group of heavily armed men from a white militia entered the state legislature in Michigan protesting the restrictions without police intervening to stop them.
In a second attempt to change the focus of the pandemic where the United States is one of the most affected countries, the president has already begun to signal that he does not intend to accept the result of the elections if he loses.
Due to the pandemic, a record number of voters are expected to vote by mail. Trump already, without having any facts on his side, has drawn similarities between mail-in ballots and cheating.
If Trump loses, the result is invalid in his eyes.
Imagine a situation on the morning of Wednesday, November 4, when Trump refuses to take a loss and there are tens of thousands of armed supporters across America who are prepared to take up arms to save Trump in power.
It can be a very dangerous situation.
But it could be violent even if Trump wins the election. Then millions of Americans will feel that the country cannot cope with another four years with the authoritarian and limitless real estate billionaire as president. There will be mass demonstrations where there will undoubtedly be perpetrators of violence who will use the protests to cause chaos.
What still speaks against the whole thing turning into a true civil war is that America, after all, is still a partially-functioning democracy with strong institutions that hopefully won’t let it go that far.
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