Yesterday, BLACK LIVES MATTER was written in bold yellow letters stretching down 16th Avenue aimed at the White House. Mayor Bowser is boldly making sure Trump understands D.C. is her city, and she is taking it back from the tyrannical stunts of his this past week. She called on governors to remove their national guard from the streets and made it clear to Trump D.C. is not asking for or tolerating unnecessary military action against the citizens of the city she governs. She also renamed the street Black Lives Matter Plaza in support of the protestors and their effort to change police department policies, which support excessive use of force disproportionately against black men.
George Floyd is yet to be buried, and Trump announced yesterday what a great day it was for America. As a family awaits the burial of their father, son, and brother, Trump was focused on a small positive economic statistic he could falsely claim as a personal victory. Money and power are what matters to this president, not black, brown, or any other color skin except white. Trump’s use of tear gas on peaceful protesters in D.C. enraged Mayor Bowser, and through strong leadership, she has slapped him down better than any other elected official shown the guts to do.
It is common knowledge Trump does not like strong, assertive women. His vindictive, thin-skinned response to Mayor Bowser on Twitter reaffirms this;
“The incompetent Mayor of Washington D.C., whose budget is totally out of control and is constantly coming back to us for “handouts” is now fighting with the National Guard, who saved her from grave embarrassment over the last number of nights. If she doesn’t treat these men and women well, then we’ll bring in a different group of men and women.”
This tweet illustrates what is concerning about the character and stability of Donald Trump. It contains name-calling, threats, vindictiveness, and false accusations. Any elected Republican official or Trump supporter who feels this “different” kind of politician is the perfect template for all future presidents should reconsider that position if they want our democracy to survive. Mayor Bowser’s reaction to Trump’s tweet was;
“We are well equipped to handle large demonstrations and First Amendment Activities. The deployment of federal law enforcement personnel and equipment are inflaming demonstrators and adding to the grievances of those who, by and large, are peacefully protesting to change and for reforms to the racist and broken systems that are killing Black Americans.”
The contrast between these tweets is distinct. Mayor Bowser states her position as mayor of the city, explains that position, names the deeper issues behind the demonstrations, clarifies the goal of the movement, and mentions the emotional suffering being expressed by the protesters. Trump’s grammatically messy tweet is a rant filled with attempts to humiliate, control, and threaten an abuse of his power.
Mayor Bowser’s point about the excessive military presence at the D.C. demonstration inciting more violence has shown to be accurate. For the last several days, with the lessening of police presence, there have been no arrests, and the protesters have been peacefully executing their constitutional right to peaceful assembly. Religious freedom and the right to bear arms are the amendments the president comments on the most because they are the ones most important to the voters in his base. What happens to Trump’s base if future presidents don’t particularly care about those amendments they hold dear? A president takes an oath of office to uphold the entire Constitution. A president who ‘cherry-picks” the document is admitting he does not support the foundation of our democracy.
There is a crack in the level of support for Trump in the Republican party. The military is not on board with his authoritarian, unconstitutional misuse of their forces. Generals and Admirals are coming forth publicly to denounce him. It must be a frustrating and frightening experience for military professionals and troops to know that their commander-in-chief never served, cheated to avoid service with a bone spur complaint, is famously most known for real estate ventures and failures, and of course, there is the infamous womanizing. Surprisingly, it took this long for these war heroes to come forward and warn the public that Trump is not upholding the Constitution. But they are warning us now.
THOSE THINKING OF STILL VOTING FOR HIM SHOULD BECOME INFORMED ABOUT HOW AUTHORITARIANISM WILL EVENTUALLY COME AROUND TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND FAMILIES AS SOON AS THE AUTOCRAT NO LONGER NEEDS THEIR VOTE TO RETAIN HIS POWER.
