DONALD TRUMP: RACE AND POWER, A DANGEROUS COMBINATION

DONALD TRUMP: RACE AND POWER, A DANGEROUS COMBINATION

By Fahim A. Knight-El

 
Donald Trump has moved further right than any past United States president that we have had in the last 50 years. Trump built a political base that was structured differently than traditional republican conservatives and established platforms that transitioned into a movement. He openly invoked race, cited religious intolerance and bigotry, spewed misogynist discrimination and openly ran on a law and order platform; he even sold white Americans on the idea in 2017, that he was going to build a wall around the Mexican and United States boarders and that the Mexican Government would pay for it. Think over this, a developing nation with untold poverty and one of the lowest standards of living in the western hemisphere and a country ridding by international debt; to attempt to impose this massive debt on the Mexican people was ludicrous and politically irrational and the Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto made it clear to Trump that Mexico was a sovereign nation and they did not take orders from Trump and the U.S. government. Trump’s overall theme of taking back America rhetoric (coded in white supremacy language) political sentiments was covertly shared by many white Americans who helped to put him into office.

Some of these same white Christians who toted the bible in one hand and dressed up in hoods and burned crosses in the name of Jesus and the white Knights casted ballots for Trump; the Neo-Nazi and white supremacy groups after his victory were applauding and cheering for their man. But his Jewish son-in-law Jared Kushner should have stood with the people and condemned these hat groups who have a long history of anti-Semitism and anti-Black violence and have a history of committing acts of terrorism against African American people and innocent Jews. Why hasn’t the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) come front and center to condemn Donald Trump for indirect linkages and association with white hate groups? But his message resonated with large segments of the white American population who had become disillusioned and dissatisfied with the political mood over America under President Barack Obama, an African American president; who had been ridiculed by a rising climate of racism and hate for his entire eight years as commander-in-chief. They initially thought his election had brought us to a post-racial era and an end to American racism, however, we would quickly found out that this was the furthest thing from the truth, because institutionalized racism was entrenched in the very fiber of America's socio-political traditions and systems and it wasn’t going anywhere no time soon.

I truly do not think that Trump understood the level of dissatisfaction that existed inside America amongst white people and his overwhelmingly presidential win even caught him off guard and shocked him that people would cast ballots for a political novice who had no previous political experience, but he won the Electoral College votes by a landslide. His victory over Hillary Clinton has possibly led to the redrawing of the electoral map relative to what use to be traditional blue states and red states were rearranged by Trump this phenomena was unlike anything, we have seen in recent American political history. Trump went into the heart of the lion's den and challenged Senator Ted Cruz who like former Governor Mike Huckabee openly taunted Christian values as so-called conservative Christian politicians. This stance almost always guaranteed receiving the political support of evangelical white Christians, which in past elections were always courted by republican candidates, in particular in the southern Bible belt States. Their power to influence presidential elections was evident up until the 2016 presidential election. But many thought that Cruz (Senator from Texas) was preaching and singing the evangelical language; and oddly enough Trump could not even quote a biblical scripture and did not appear that he had any real church or religious ties that was meaningful (in prior presidential campaigns this would have mattered, but in 2016 just white skin and racial slogans of duplicity outweighed past historical alliances).

Former President Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush as vice president used evangelical right-wingers to justify reactionary U.S. foreign policy and military aggression in the name of God. Back then Pat Robinson, Jerry Falwell, Billy Graham, etc., were the go to clergy voices that would set the religious ideological tone by politically justifying United States aggression and imperialism across the globe by openly invoking the name of God into U.S. foreign policy matters. For example, the decade of the 1980s signaled a new political era for America, in particular and the world in general, with the 1980 election of Ronald Wilson Reagan propagandized a false sense of evangelical emotionalism and ushered in a political-religious patriotism that incited Americans towards taking a proactive position in world domination. Reagan would continue to strategically galvanized his rightwing propaganda tools, the conservative Christian right, along with their "morally correct" clergy, and they went on a "moral manifest destiny" crusade in order to so-called create a world more safer for democracy and missionaries (they only made the world more safer for the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and international banks to steal by wrapping their tentacles around the entire globe).  

If the truth be told the evangelicals probably did not like Donald Trump's promiscuity and his overall moral ineptitude (this was the making of strange bedfellows), but silently they shared in his racial politics of issuing in a white manifest destiny. Reagan was a master manipulator of the media, both electronic and print. He molded and shaped public opinion and thought in whatever direction he desired (Trump has been equally affective in manipulating propaganda and disseminating disinformation) his top level spokesperson Kellyann Conway calls it presenting alternative facts.

Reagan got into these minor Cold War military skirmishes in 1983, he attacked the small Caribbean island of Grenada, but only as a demonstration of military flexing, the world knew this tiny Caribbean communist inspired nation was no match for the powerful U.S. military and government. The Bible toting "morally correct" evangelical preachers (Pat Robertson, Billy Graham, and Jerry Falwell) came to the defense of United States aggression, because Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was depicted as a bad communist.  And all parties understood the 1823 Monroe Doctrine and the implications of Cuba and the USSR imposing influence in America’s backyard would not be tolerated.

The conservative Christians (they viewed communism as a atheistic system that threatened global Christian values) along with the U.S. government moved towards ending the Cold War by using East Berlin and West Berlin as the visible symbol of bringing closure to a divisive era in world history, which had old international alignments that went back to World War II rooted in the former USSR and NATO ideologies. The U.S. created an illusion in the political minds of the West and idea that the world could never make the necessary global paradigm transition properly unless communism and its Eastern bloc influence had to be eliminated and in the name of "Jesus" and in the interest of capitalism expansion (this new alignment exposed Russia as an antagonist reactionary capitalist nation who had hid for decades under Marxism-Leninism inspired communism).

Under the Reagan/Bush administration, the United States foreign policy agenda became synonymous with the aspirations of God, whatever his aspirations meant to them. In April of 1986, the country of Libya was bombed, because they refused to submit to the United States dictates; the United States created a heavy naval military presence in the Mediterranean Sea posting the Sixth Fleet in striking distance from Tripoli. Once again, the Falwells, Robertsons, and Grahams defended the United States aggression in the name of God. Trump is imposing executive orders banning Muslim immigration and entry into the United States from countries such as: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen (trust me the Christian evangelical right such as Reverend John Hagee of Cornerstone Church as in the past is applauding Trump's immigration banned against the so-called 'infidel' Muslims). But did you noticed Saudi Arabia was not on that terrorist nation list, because he is  member of the Elitist House of Saud, although, sixteen of the so-called terrorist who attacked the World Trade Center on 9/11 were Saudi nationals and sworn members of Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin-Laden network. Trump is duping the American people into believing that he is being proactive in banning Muslims from entering our country in the name of controlling potential terrorist from enter and this so-called serves his long term national security interest aimed at combating terrorism.

Trump is systematically inducing fear in America and throughout the world while he continues to sign reactionary executive orders to further moved the United States towards a police state and into a one world government; the white voters who put him into office do not understand that they too will be victims of martial law (the sheeple will volunteer themselves for the slaughter, but I and others are the good shepards, but the sheep is not listening to us--Elijah Muhammad, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, Kwame Ture, Queen Mother Moore, etc., have issued warnings to the sheep who continue to desiring to be led in the wrong direction by the slave master's children . Moreover, according to Dr. Ravi Batra, in his book, The Great Depression of 1990, the intellectual is endowed with foresight and keenness of mind. In general an intellectual is cautious and pragmatic, he or she relishes comfort but not at cost of physical labor. Consequently, the intellectual attains power only by defeating the warrior in a battle of wits. Intellectuals rule indirectly—through their control over the warrior ruler, who alone can summon the might to keep order in society. Whenever and wherever the intellectuals perceived that their time had come, they devised new dogmas rationalizing their hold over the people. After outwitting the warrior, the intellectuals then set out to inject baseless fears and prejudices in other classes as well. Once the rule was over, it was just a matter of time before the rest of society yielded to their self-serving doctrines

Trumps policies will be devastating to the middle class and poor whites, but as I have stated in previous Blogs, it is the white supremacy mentality (which has become an incurable disease) in America that would cause them to vote against their own political, economic and social interest (their white privilege is not on the same level of Trump's white privilege). The poor whites who many of them live way below the poverty line—unemployed, poorly educated, do not have adequate health care, and have shorter life expectations and their overall quality of life is one of disillusionment and because of entrenched racist values, they could not see beyond Donald Trump’s many games of political deception.  He covertly rallied them around race by playing the blame game and they do not understand that this white billionaire's allegiance is only to other billionaires and the poor whites in this nation share nothing with Donald Trump other than white skin. 

White folk just were glad to hear a white politician echo the emotional sentiments of 'lets make America great again' and they got caught up in the mix, because Trump convinced them that the Latinos were their problems and the cause for them losing jobs and it was Muslim-Americans whom he subtlety tied to Islamic radical extremism that were threatening the safety of American white citizens. Trump indeed gave them something to believe in and rally around, which was the artificial value in their white skin in which they falsely believed that they shared this divine manifest destiny with their new white shinning Knight named Donald J. Trump.

They still cannot see a direct correlation between a government that's under Trump's administration that is going to further enrich the Elitist class and implement domestic policy that's going to expand the hunger lines across America and poverty will be taking to an entirely new level. Life (black or white) and humanity do not matter in his worldview; I detest poverty, because I believe, there are enough resources to ensure the basics of food, clothing and shelter could be adequately met to satisfy the needs of humanity. There are enough resources on the planet to adequately meet the needs of the entire globe. The root of poverty is greed this creates a varied of reactionary symptoms and is the root of human suffering where 95% of the world’s wealth is controlled by 1% of the population. 

This Elitist segment sees the planet as belonging to them, it’s this disparity that causes national and global hunger in particular amongst Emerging and Developing Nation (use to be referred to as ‘Third World Nations’).  This systematic induced disparity causes people to have to live in substandard conditions because their economies have been systematically depressed and often their currency has been devalued by Western Governments who are members of the G-8 and G-20 Nations.  John Knowles, the President of the Rockefeller Foundation, in its annual report for 1975: "I am sure of only one thing—more is not necessarily better. The web of interdependence is tightening. We are one world and there will be one future—for better or for worse—for us all. Central to a new ethic of making less more is controlled economic growth which conserves scarce resources provides more equitable distribution of income and wealth ... ‘

There must be a redistribution of the world’s wealth with the world’s people; this is the only solution to ending national and global poverty. This phenomenon creates a vicious cycle of human social, political and economic disruption (which translates into unspeakable oppression which creates systemic outcomes) on poor people in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Central and South America by determining other nations Gross National Products (GNP). Even in the United States one of the most industrialized nations in the world, poverty and hunger still remains an issue—there has been in  recent years and increase in people being forced to live in homeless shelters and eat their meals at soup kitchens.

Yet, our U.S. Government, in particular our congress has become more conservative and anti poor—social programs are being cut and the poor are being politically scapegoat for causing the political, economic and social issues plaguing the United States. It was Hurricane Katrina in 2005, that exposed that there were two Americas—poor and black; the media gave the public a firsthand look at how poor people in New Orleans lived in conditions equalvent to “Third World Nations” the scene was shocking to most Americans because they did not know and could not believe that level of poverty existing inside the United States of America (President George W. Bush even called the black people of New Orleans refugees as though they were 'third world' people). The Katrina crisis and scene was despicable and was a clear indication that America had failed its people. The poor even after President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s war on poverty American and the Great Society—some forty-Five years later a great deal of the American people still lived in substandard conditions.

Many worked minimum wages jobs, (classified by sociologist as the working poor), lacked education, lived in public housing or were part of some housing arrangement where the government subsides the rent, and many have minor aged children where there are no fathers in the homes; and mothers are forced to raise their children in single parent homes (this further complicates dysfunctional family structures and continues the cycle of poverty and disillusionment). The once blue collar and non-skilled jobs are readily fading out and U.S. businesses and corporations have abandoned the American people by outsourcing and downsizing their corporate interest by finding cheaper labor and product (raw materials) markets across seas. This social phenomenon in my opinion has given rise to the Prison Industrial Complex (which has led to mass incarceration) where cities and towns across America have become the homes of privatizes corporate prisons. The United States has over seven (7) million people incarcerated, perhaps more than any other industrial nation in the world. Trump’s public policies will further acerbate the problems already confronting the poor and top of list who will eventually become dismayed will be poor white people after they wake up and come to recognize that they had been hoodwinked by a sophisticated conman.

The corporate outsourcing of part of the U.S. economy to Asia, Central and South America have allowed capitalist to exploit overseas markets, which negatively impacts the job market and the U.S. economy. The earth is 196, 940,000 square miles and 57, 255, 000 square miles of land. The poor white citizens along with most Americans who  do not have the ability to predict and see the backlashes will eventually be led to a painful reality unless we are willing to deal with poverty, it’s superficial to talk about national security or building a wall around the United States or signing insignificant executive orders. I am a pessimist in which I am not optimistic about the United States national or global course as we move forward in the next four to eight years, because I see a vicious assault on the poor and have 'nots' and these type reactionary policies are going to create un-precedent protest and rebellions in the streets of America. We are treading on some dangerous waters relative to the U.S. previous commitment to at least giving the appearance of respecting the U.S. democracy, but Trump is bent on totally obliterating the United States Constitution and compromising of the American jurisprudence rules of law. All I can tell you is to get ready and be prepared for new and dangerous chapter to be written in American history.

Fahim A. Knight-El Chief Researcher for KEEPING IT REAL THINK TANK located in Durham, NC; our mission is to inform African Americans and all people of goodwill, of the pending dangers that lie ahead; as well as decode the symbolism and reinterpreted the hidden meanings behind those who operate as invisible forces, but covertly rules the world. We are of the belief that an enlightened world will be better prepared to throw off the shackles of ignorance and not be willing participants for the slaughter. Our MOTTO is speaking truth to power. Fahim A. Knight-El can be reached at fahimknight@yahoo.com.