Trumps abandons presidential role of reconciliation to inflame

When four Los Angeles police officers were acquitted in Rodney King, President George HW Bush expressed the shock and the horror that many Americans felt.

“What you saw and what I saw on the television video was revolting,” Bush said in a television speech at the national level of the oval office. “I felt anger. I felt pain. I said to myself: How can I explain this to my grandchildren?

Bush spoke after sending troops to Los Angeles after three days of civilian troubles triggered by non -cured verdicts – some of the worst domestic violence that the country has ever seen. He acted at the request of the governor of California Pete Wilson and the mayor of Los Angeles Tom Bradley.

Bush did not offer any excuse. On the contrary, he said, “There can be no excuse … for murder, the criminal fire, theft and vandalism that terrorized the law respectful of the laws of Los Angeles.”

At the same time, however, Bush sought to resolve some of the underlying questions – the racist history of the Los Angeles Police Service, chief among them – who has completely adopted for decades before exploding in fusion rage. And he promised to use the power of Washington to continue the justice, which finally led to a federal trial of the officers who beat King.

In other words, historically, what the presidents have done: to face volatile circumstances, confronting crises, they summon the powers of their office to explain, improve, reassure and, above all, try to calm the situation.

Not Donald Trump.

Anger and approval are the twin engines which feed the brilliant soul of the president. He used the claim of certain relatively modest and scattered demonstrations to take control of the California National Guard and invade troops unilaterally in Los Angeles – again launching an assault against the Constitution and the limits of the presidential power.

He again demonstrated his eagerness to divide and conquer and, with Swagger, put the intimidator in the intimidation chair.

“He does not consider this soothing role as being very integrated into what he does,” said Julian Zelizer, Princeton historian and author of a book on Trump’s first mandate. “He is really willing to provoke conflicts and fuel the division rather than moving in an opposite way. … Instead of calming a situation, it is the opposite. He accelerates a situation.”

Before continuing, let’s be clear. As Bush said, there is no excuse for the criminal fire, theft or vandalism.

Violent protests do not do justice. This only generates more violence. This justifies repression such as the one that Trump has so impatient – playing in the hands of the president, as Governor Gavin Newsom said.

In addition, waving the flag of a foreign country is not the least for approval or politically intelligent. Tortful or wrongly, he is lively, only used to distract and injured the pro-migrant because the flag teacher of the flags is the teacher.

And, to be clear, some people use demonstrations such as those of Trump’s immigration raids as a cover and excuse to continue a foreign violence and anarchy program. They do more than physical damage.

However, nothing justifies the conduct of a president who, in front of flames, has just run with petrol. Instead of a regular hand or the chief console, we have a political pyromaniac residing in the White House.

The fact that Trump sent troops to suppress demonstrations in Los Angeles, the largest blue megalopolis of the country’s largest blue state, cannot be ignored.

“The president likes to do symbolic acts,” said George C. Edwards III, a presidential academic at Texas A&M University, in this case, targeting California and a sustainable sworn enemy, Governor Gavin Newsom, and the use of immigration – a long problem at the heart of his political agenda – as a sword and shield.

“Aside from an accessory objective to maintain peace,” said Edwards, “I think it’s important in his mind.”

You can practically see Trump Saliver.

And there is something else to note, as the president calls guard and positions himself as the savior of the law and the order.

“They spit, we hit!” Trump is boastful, warning the demonstrators of the consequences they would face if they would aggresses the police and the troops in this way.

This of a president who unconditionally forgiven 1,500 criminals convicted in January 6, 2021, attack the American Capitol and his peace agents – one of whom attacked a police officer by plunging a pistol paralyzing several times in his neck.

“You are in hand, we are not imperturbable!” – Is that how it will be, as long as violence is done in the name of Trump?

During the decade since its descent into a golden escalator – and the emergence as the most dominant and most consecutive political figure of the 21st century – Trump proved to be a master unequaled with distraction and deviation. And that’s still.

Elon who?

But by looking for his own interests and confusing politics with personal resentments, Trump abdicated one of the main responsibilities of a president: to alleviate unruly passions, stifling violence and, as the preamble to the Constitution, to “ensure domestic tranquility”.

“Anyway like this is very dangerous,” said Zelizer, “because the more force there is, the more potential for something wrong.”

We can hope for the best. But it will probably not end well.