TRUMP THE ABSURD

 

For weeks, President Trump and his supporters had been proclaiming January the 6^th as a day of reckoning.  A day to gather in Washington to “Save America” and “Stop Steal” the election he had decisively lost, but which he still maintained that he had won by a landslide!!

 

And when the day arrived, the president rallied thousands of his supporters with provocative speech.  Then a large mob of those supporters, many waving Trump flags and wearing Trump regalia, violently stormed into the Capitol to take over the halls of government and send elected officials into hiding, fearing for their safety.

 

But if the chaos in Washington shocked the world, one of the most disturbing aspects of the most disturbing day is that it could be seen coming.  The President, himself, had circled the date on the nation’s calendar.

 

“Big protest in DC,  on January 6^{th “}, Mr Trump tweeted on the 19^th December, just one of his several tweets promoting the day.  “It will be wild”, he added.  So his supporters took Trump at his word.

 

“If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilisation, then be prepared to accept barbarism,” said one of his supporters on Facebook, on the eve of the appointed day, January 6^th.

                                           Trump Supporters Carrying Rifles 

Beneath it, dozens of people posted comments, that included photographs of weaponry, including rifles that they intended to bring to the rally.  There were also comments referring to “occupying” the Capitol and forcing Congress to overturn the November elections that Joe Biden had won and Mr Trump had lost.

 

                                              President-Elect Mr Joe Biden

The roots of one of the darkest moments in American democracy reached as far back as November 4^th, the day after presidential elections where Mr Trump decisively lost to Mr Joe Biden.  On that day, the first “Stop the Steal” was formed on Facebook, and it quickly took off realising, at one point, 100 new members every 10 seconds. The group swelled to 320.000 before Facebook shut it down.

 

As hundreds of new “Stop the Steal” continued to pop up, Facebook became more aggressive in shutting them down.  Promptly some right-wing supporters of Mr Trump, including some involved in militia and conspiracy groups to new, less restrictive social media sites.  And it was on those sites that a movement to organise a pro-Trump rally in Washington gathered momentum.

                                                         Mr Ali Alexander

Several right-wing activists, including Ali Alexander, a Republican who was previously known as Ali Akbar began to emerge as a leader of “Stop the Steal”.  Their conspiracy theories and fact-free claims of electoral fraud closely mirrored Mr Trump's baseless charges.

                                                    Vice-President Mike Pence

By mid-December, dozens of lawsuits, filed by Trump supporters had failed, often miserably.  Then on the 14^th December Mr Biden secured enough votes in the Electoral College to affirm his victory.  The last formality before his inauguration on the 20^th of January was the official count by Congress of the electoral votes, a proforma ceremony of paperwork, to be overseen by Vice President, Mike Pence.               

 

 The USA is in a state of emergency with, unfortunately, four dead and many injured.  Our heart goes out to all those whose loved ones have died and wishes for a speedy recovery for the wounded. 

 

  

 

I am so sorry about the title of this post because so many Americans voted for Mr Trump, but they must have been misled by fake information.