Trump’s problem is that in order to look tough and seem justified in deploying armed agents of the state, he needs a threatening antagonist. He needs the protests to appear out of control. He needs them to be highly disruptive, chaotic, and violent. Yet most of the protests, especially after the riots that faded in late May, have been peaceful. That’s why Trump’s boldest attempt so far to portray himself as a paragon of law and order — the use of force against peaceful protesters in Lafayette Park outside the White House on June 1 so that the president could stage a photo op and deliver a combative speech on national television — failed so miserably. (Trump’s ongoing polling collapse picked up speed and intensity with that ham-handed stunt.)
Trump’s solution to this problem is to provoke the protesters by harassing them lawlessly. It’s the real-world equivalent of online trolling — an act intended to bring out the worst in one’s opponent in order to get him to act out in a self-defeating way.
The act of deploying military forces trained to combat drug smugglers against citizens exercising their constitutionally protected right to protest would be tyrannical enough. But what makes Trump’s actions especially toxic is their intentionally escalatory aim — his effort to drive his opponents to deeds that will necessitate even more drastic measures in response.
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