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The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump's Washington DC takeover is straight out of a fascist playbook
A key chapter in the fascist playbook has always been to convince the public that it is living in such a state of mortal danger and unbridled chaos that the only chance of survival is to cede individual rights to the determined will of the Dear Leader. That's why fascist leaders have constantly demanded that their populations venerate all violence performed in the service of the state and revere the apparatuses of state violence, such as police forces and the military. In this scenario, state violence is not only necessary for the nation's survival. State violence is understood as even beautiful, something the public can and must believe in. Buying into state violence this way produces something historian Robert Paxton has called a 'mobilizing passion'. In his book The Anatomy of Fascism, Paxton described how 'the beauty of violence and the efficacy of will' is produced and then mobilized by fascists by creating 'a sense of overwhelming crisis beyond the reach of traditional solutions'. In other words, there's always a grave, existential threat lurking around every corner, and only fascist violence can restore order to a lawless world. To the fascist, as Umberto Eco once put it, 'life is a permanent war'. Enter Donald Trump. Whether it's an existential threat of 'wokeness' run amok in American universities, or the extraordinary danger of unauthorized immigrants picking our vegetables, Trump is prepared to battle everyone and everything, including his own windmills, to restore the country to some illusory past glory that we are all supposed to believe in, and be willing to sacrifice ourselves for. But the sad truth is that many, if not most, of Trump's justifications for his policies, are unsurprisingly based on bald-faced lies or gross exaggerations simply to further his pursuit of absolute power. Yet it doesn't seem to matter. With each new announcement, Trump continues to prove how excellent he is at crafting the illusion of problems where there basically are none and leading his followers down an often-violent path of retribution. (Remember January 6, DC's most violent day in recent history?) By doing so, he seeks to constantly expand his authority while also deflecting from all the substantial problems that are staring him in the face. And these problems are not insignificant. Think of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal or the continuation of global conflicts that he promised months ago he would uniquely be able to end. The federal takeover of the Washington DC police department, announced with loud fanfare by Trump on Monday, is the latest example of this phenomenon. About 800 national guard troops will be deployed in the nation's capital because, according to the president, 'our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs, and homeless people.' This does sound rather frightening. Fortunately, it's not true. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to matter. First, the facts. Crime in DC is at historic lows. 'Total violent crime for 2024 in the District of Columbia is down 35% from 2023 and is the lowest it has been in over 30 years,' the justice department announced earlier this year. And crime numbers for 2025 are even better, substantially lower than 2024. Violent crime in 2025 is down 26% compared with 2024. The DC council understands this. The council responded to Trump's announcement with an angry joint statement: 'This is a manufactured intrusion on local authority. Violent crime in the District is at the lowest rates we've seen in 30 years. Federalizing the DC police is unwarranted because there is no Federal emergency. Further, the National Guard has no public safety training or knowledge of local laws. The Guard's role does not include investigating or solving crimes in the District. Calling out the National Guard is an unnecessary deployment with no real mission.' Such facts ought to matter. So why don't they to Trump? Facts don't matter for Trump because facts have always operated as nothing more than an inconvenience for him. Just ask Erika McEntarfer, former commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. She was recently fired by Trump after accurately reporting employment statistics, and those specific numbers contradicted Trump and his policies. But with every new policy enacted by this administration, Trump's fact-free worldview becomes a lot more worrisome. That's true for this policy, too. Owing to its historically limited autonomy, the District of Columbia is governed differently than other parts of the county. And under the Home Rule Act of 1973,the federal government can take over its policing functions for a period of 30 days. Congress would probably then have to extend that time limit if needed. But to think that Trump is focused on federal policing authority solely to deploy it to Washington DC is to also believe that Donald Trump has never seen a spray tan machine. Here is Trump: 'We have other cities also that are bad, very bad,' he said at his press conference. 'You look at Chicago, how bad it is. You look at Los Angeles, how bad it is. We have other cities that are very bad. New York is a problem. And then you have of course Baltimore and Oakland. We don't even mention that any more, they're so far gone. We're not going to let it happen. We're not going to lose our cities over this. And this will go further. We're starting very strongly with DC.' Now, here are the facts. In Chicago, homicides are down 33% in 2025. Los Angeles had the 'lowest homicide total in nearly 60 years' in 2025. New York's police department is reporting that 'from January 2025 through May 2025, New York City experienced the lowest number of shootings and murders in recorded history.' The Baltimore police department has stated that 2025 'continues to see double-digit reductions in gun violence, including a 22% decrease in homicides'. And the Oakland police department reported last week 'that overall crime in Oakland has dropped by 28% in the first six months of 2025' including a 24% decrease in homicides. Donald Trump wants to take over all forms of law enforcement in the United States, from local policing to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agency that is now pumped up on budgetary steroids. (Under Trump's so-called big, beautiful bill, Ice will now expand to become the largest federal law enforcement agency in US history, with a bigger budget than most nations' militaries.) Trump's desire to control all forms of state power, and to expand them beyond belief, is a move straight out of the fascist playbook. And it's completely dependent on the production of both extraordinary fear and blatant lies. The first way of fighting such an obvious power grab is not to give in to the fear and not to believe the lies. But what is less understood about Trump is that he doesn't even care if we believe his lies. Like all such leaders, what Trump really wants is just that we no longer believe in the truth. The difference between not believing the lies and believing in the truth may sound slight, but it's exactly in that distinction where some people are allowed to live and others must die. It's where democracy is found or democracy is lost. And it's why holding on to the very concept of truth ultimately matters so much more than just arguing over the lies. Moustafa Bayoumi is the author of the award-winning books How Does It Feel to Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America and This Muslim American Life: Dispatches from the War on Terror. He is professor of English at Brooklyn College, City University of New York
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump's Washington DC takeover is straight out of a fascist playbook
A key chapter in the fascist playbook has always been to convince the public that it is living in such a state of mortal danger and unbridled chaos that the only chance of survival is to cede individual rights to the determined will of the Dear Leader. That's why fascist leaders have constantly demanded that their populations venerate all violence performed in the service of the state and revere the apparatuses of state violence, such as police forces and the military. In this scenario, state violence is not only necessary for the nation's survival. State violence is understood as even beautiful, something the public can and must believe in. Buying into state violence this way produces something historian Robert Paxton has called a 'mobilizing passion'. In his book The Anatomy of Fascism, Paxton described how 'the beauty of violence and the efficacy of will' is produced and then mobilized by fascists by creating 'a sense of overwhelming crisis beyond the reach of traditional solutions'. In other words, there's always a grave, existential threat lurking around every corner, and only fascist violence can restore order to a lawless world. To the fascist, as Umberto Eco once put it, 'life is a permanent war'. Enter Donald Trump. Whether it's an existential threat of 'wokeness' run amok in American universities, or the extraordinary danger of unauthorized immigrants picking our vegetables, Trump is prepared to battle everyone and everything, including his own windmills, to restore the country to some illusory past glory that we are all supposed to believe in, and be willing to sacrifice ourselves for. But the sad truth is that many, if not most, of Trump's justifications for his policies, are unsurprisingly based on bald-faced lies or gross exaggerations simply to further his pursuit of absolute power. Yet it doesn't seem to matter. With each new announcement, Trump continues to prove how excellent he is at crafting the illusion of problems where there basically are none and leading his followers down an often-violent path of retribution. (Remember January 6, DC's most violent day in recent history?) By doing so, he seeks to constantly expand his authority while also deflecting from all the substantial problems that are staring him in the face. And these problems are not insignificant. Think of the Jeffery Epstein scandal or the continuation of global conflicts that he promised months ago he would uniquely be able to end. The federal takeover of the Washington DC police department, announced with loud fanfare by Trump on Monday, is the latest example of this phenomenon. Some 800 national guard troops will be deployed in the nation's capital because, according to the president, 'our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs, and homeless people.' This does sound rather frightening. Fortunately, it's not true. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to matter. First, the facts. Crime in DC is at historic lows. 'Total violent crime for 2024 in the District of Columbia is down 35% from 2023 and is the lowest it has been in over 30 years,' the justice department announced earlier this year. And crime numbers for 2025 are even better, substantially lower than 2024. Violent crime in 2025 is down 26% compared to 2024. The DC Council understands this. The council responded to Trump's announcement with an angry joint statement: 'This is a manufactured intrusion on local authority. Violent crime in the District is at the lowest rates we've seen in 30 years. Federalizing the DC police is unwarranted because there is no Federal emergency. Further, the National Guard has no public safety training or knowledge of local laws. The Guard's role does not include investigating or solving crimes in the District. Calling out the National Guard is an unnecessary deployment with no real mission.' Such facts ought to matter. So why don't they to Trump? Facts don't matter for Trump because facts have always operated as nothing more than an inconvenience for him. Just ask Erika McEntarfer, former commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. She was recently fired by Trump after accurately reporting employment statistics, and those specific numbers contradicted Trump and his policies. But with every new policy enacted by this administration, Trump's fact-free worldview becomes a lot more worrisome. That's true for this policy, too. Owing to its historically limited autonomy, the District of Columbia is governed differently than other parts of the county. And under the Home Rule Act of 1973, it's easier for the federal government to take over its policing functions for a period of 30 days. Congress would probably then have to extend that time limit if needed. But to think that Trump is focused on federal policing authority solely to deploy it to Washington DC is to also believe that Donald Trump has never seen a spray tan machine. Here is Trump: 'We have other cities also that are bad, very bad,' he said at his press conference. 'You look at Chicago, how bad it is. You look at Los Angeles, how bad it is. We have other cities that are very bad. New York is a problem. And then you have of course Baltimore and Oakland. We don't even mention that anymore, they're so far gone. We're not going to let it happen. We're not going to lose our cities over this. And this will go further. We're starting very strongly with DC.' Now, here are the facts. In Chicago, homicides are down 33% in 2025. Los Angeles had the 'lowest homicide total in nearly 60 years' in 2025. New York's police department is reporting that 'from January 2025 through May 2025, New York City experienced the lowest number of shootings and murders in recorded history.' The Baltimore police department has stated that 2025 'continues to see double-digit reductions in gun violence, including a 22% decrease in homicides'. And the Oakland police department reported last week 'that overall crime in Oakland has dropped by 28% in the first six months of 2025' including a 24% decrease in homicides. Donald Trump wants to take over all forms of law enforcement in the United States, from local policing to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agency that is now pumped up on budgetary steroids. (Under Trump's so-called Big, Beautiful Bill, Ice will now expand to become the largest federal law enforcement agency in US history, with a bigger budget than most nations' militaries.) Trump's desire to control all forms of state power, and to expand them beyond belief, is a move straight out of the fascist playbook. And it's completely dependent on the production of both extraordinary fear and blatant lies. The first way of fighting such an obvious power grab is not to give in to the fear and not to believe the lies. But what is less understood about Trump is that he doesn't even care if we believe his lies. Like all such leaders, what Trump really wants is just that we no longer believe in the truth. The difference between not believing the lies and believing in the truth may sound slight, but it's exactly in that distinction where some people are allowed to live and others must die. It's where democracy is found or democracy is lost. And it's why holding on to the very concept of truth ultimately matters so much more than just arguing over the lies. Moustafa Bayoumi is the author of the award-winning books How Does It Feel To Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America and This Muslim American Life: Dispatches from the War on Terror. He is professor of English at Brooklyn College, City University of New York
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hillary Clinton Just Hit On One Of Donald Trump's Biggest Insecurities With Three Words
At this point, we all know just how OBSESSED Donald Trump appears to be with crowd sizes at his rallies, inauguration, and events. Even former President Barack Obama commented on Trump's fixation during his 2024 Democratic National Convention speech, when Obama seemed to suggest crowd sizes are akin to a penis measuring contest in the 79-year-old's mind. CNN / Twitter: @yashar Well, this weekend was Trump's anticipated parade in honor of the US military's 250th anniversary (and perhaps his birthday.) And, well, the crowd sizes looked something like this... Related: "Let Them Eat Teslas": People At The "No Kings" Protests This Weekend Brought Signs That Were So Clever I'm Still Laughing About Them ...while protests against Trump's presidency on that same exact day looked like this across the US. It's a cheeky but honest comparison, and one that former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton couldn't help but poke fun at. Related: Well, Well, Well, For The Second Time In 2 Weeks, People Are Letting JD Vance Know EXACTLY How They Feel About Him In Public In a now-viral Instagram post featuring side-by-sides of Trump's parade and the protests, Clinton urged followers to "compare and contrast" the scenes — three simple words that now have people chuckling. "Compare and contrast scenes from yesterday in America," she wrote in the post's caption. "On the one hand, Trump's low-energy Dear Leader parade (that cost you $45 million). On the other, millions of people across the country gathering peacefully to say: Here, we have no kings." In response, people commented the nation-wide protest's name and chant: "No Kings." And plenty commended Clinton for the not-so-subtle shade. "I love you so much for doing this, Hillary!!!" one person wrote. "The shade of it all!" What are your thoughts on Clinton's response to the protests? Let us know in the comments. Also in In the News: "Honestly Speechless At How Evil This Is": 26 Brutal, Brutal, Brutal Political Tweets Of The Week Also in In the News: This Dem Lawmaker Is Going Viral For His Extremely Shady Question To Secretary Kristi Noem Also in In the News: This Conservative Said He Wears A Fake ICE Uniform For A Really, Really, Really Gross Reason
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The POTUS v. The Boss: Trump calls for investigation of Springsteen, celeb endorsements
Shake it off? Not President Donald Trump. The Republican is calling for an investigation of Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, and other celebs who endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris' failed 2024 White House bid. 'HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT? WHY DID HE ACCEPT THAT MONEY IF HE IS SUCH A FAN OF HERS? ISN'T THAT A MAJOR AND ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION? WHAT ABOUT BEYONCÉ? …AND HOW MUCH WENT TO OPRAH, AND BONO???' Trump thundered in a 1:34 a.m. post to his Truth Social network on Monday morning. But it didn't end there. 'I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter. Candidates aren't allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment,' Trump continued, using CAPS-LOCK a tad more sparingly. 'In addition, this was a very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds. IT'S NOT LEGAL! For these unpatriotic 'entertainers,' this was just a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!' The post came days after Trump took a swipe at Springsteen, denouncing him as a 'dried out prune of a rocker,' in revenge for some pointed remarks the Rock Hall of Famer made from the stage in the United Kingdom. Harris received a steady stream of celebrity endorsements last year, Politico reported Monday. Beyoncé spoke at a rally in Houston along with former Destiny's Child bandmate Kelly Rowland, the online news org reported. But she did not perform. Winfrey, meanwhile, hosted a live-streamed town hall near Detroit, Politico reported. There were false reports that the stars were paid in exchange for their support -- which were quickly shot down, Politico further reported. Still, Harris's campaign did pay Beyoncé's production company $165,000. And it gave $1 million to Harpo Productions, Winfrey's company, Politico reported, citing campaign finance records. Winfrey addressed the criticism in a social media post, saying she did not receive 'any personal fee,' according to Politico. Springsteen, meanwhile, appeared undeterred by any criticism from the White House. Over the weekend, he dedicated a song to the 'Dear Leader,' a reference to the title used for former North Korean strongman Kim Jong Il, The Wall Street Journal reported. And in an opinion piece for MSNBC, columnist Jeff Slate suggested only one person is benefiting from the Trump-Springsteen feud. And it's not the guy who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. 'Sometimes entertaining and sometimes ominous, the mini-feud pits two septuagenarians against each other in the least surprising way possible. And while unlikely to move the needle in 2028, the fact that Trump gave in to his boorish impulses is ultimately mostly just a personal gift to the Boss,' Slate wrote. For his part, Springsteen ducked any questions about Trump as he signed autographs for fans. He just chuckled when he was asked if he had a message for the president, Fox News reported. Meet the Mass. lawmaker marshaling the resistance to Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' Worcester councilor slams ICE protesters, says they should have helped children Senator asks if Trump got 'gold-plated helicopter' from cartel family he let in country Trump ally says Biden is 'not going to recover' after cancer diagnosis Trump's attacks on Mass. hit economy in 'the gut,' Greater Boston Chamber boss says Read the original article on MassLive.
Hindustan Times
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Springsteen, Undeterred by Trump, Keeps Up War of Words From Foreign Stage
MANCHESTER, U.K.—President Trump warned Bruce Springsteen to 'keep his mouth shut' until he gets back to the U.S. The rock icon is showing no signs of backing down, delivering a fiery performance from a stage in this city Saturday that reflected the stark political divide in America. Springsteen echoed earlier criticism of the Trump administration Saturday, saying a 'rogue' government was rolling over U.S. lawmakers and institutions designed to keep authoritarianism in check. 'Things are happening right now that are altering the very nature of our country's democracy,' Springsteen told the audience. To drive the point home, he dedicated one of his songs to our 'Dear Leader,' an allusion to the honorific set aside for former North Korean ruler Kim Jong Il. A similar broadside last week prompted Trump to take aim at Springsteen in a social-media post: 'I see that Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen goes to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States. Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he's not a talented guy.' The escalating confrontation between the president and Springsteen is part of a broader clash between Trump and some pop-culture icons that goes back to the president's first term. Trump has repeatedly assailed Taylor Swift, who endorsed Kamala Harris in last year's election but hasn't engaged in the sort of sharp-tongued criticism delivered by Springsteen. Trump lashed out at Swift in a separate post Friday: 'Has anyone noticed that, since I said 'I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,' she's no longer 'HOT?'' Earlier in his administration, Trump trained his fire on some of Washington's most venerable cultural institutions, complaining that they supported a leftist agenda. In February, Trump made himself the chairman of the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and fired board members who had been appointed by Joe Biden and others. 'We didn't like what they were showing,' Trump said at the time. 'We're going to make sure it's good and it's not going to be woke.' Springsteen was honored by the Kennedy Center in 2009, and has performed at Kennedy Center ceremonies for Bob Dylan and Sting during previous administrations. Some artists have vowed to boycott performances at the center that Trump plans to attend. But few artists have been as blunt as Springsteen, who for decades has cast himself as a champion of the working class and, in recent decades, has regularly campaigned with Democratic Party presidential candidates. Still, Springsteen has generally been able to straddle the partisan divide in America. His 1984 anthem 'Born in the U.S.A.' was widely embraced by Republicans including Ronald Reagan, despite its lyrics' searing criticism of U.S. foreign and domestic policy. Springsteen also counts New Jersey's former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican and longtime presidential aspirant from Springsteen's home state, among his biggest fans. Still, despite Springsteen's support, the Democratic Party has seen its longtime strength among blue-collar workers eroded by the rise of Trump. The president has transcended his own gilded upbringing to become a hero to many voters across the Rust Belt states that Springsteen has made a career of singing about—including Youngstown, a working-class city in Ohio that was the eponymous subject of one of the songs Springsteen played on Saturday. Some attendees at Saturday's concert in Manchester were reluctant to address Springsteen's politics. Others, like Paul Barnett, 70 years old, a golf-club steward from Knighton, Wales, who has seen Springsteen more than 100 times and described himself as not particularly political, said he was worried about what Trump might do to retaliate against Springsteen when he returns home. Trump's latest attacks on Springsteen and Swift drew a response Friday from the American Federation of Musicians, who praised the two artists as 'role models and inspirations to millions of people in the United States and around the world.' During Saturday's concert in Manchester, Springsteen avoided any direct response to Trump's latest rhetorical attack, but repeated his critique, including by assailing the president for what he said was his cozying up to foreign dictators and abandoning of longstanding allies. Though the language remained largely unchanged, audience members who attended both Manchester concerts said Springsteen was more impassioned on Saturday. 'He was more on fire,' said Annette Dahlin-Johansson, 56, a Springsteen fan from Gothenburg, Sweden, who attended both concerts in Manchester. The crowd, too, she said, roared back with approval on Saturday in a way that wasn't the case at last week's tour opener, when some in the audience appeared surprised by the directness of Springsteen's political soliloquies. Mark Wilcock, a 57-year-old from Skipton, England, who first saw Springsteen in 1988, said Springsteen's political views have been clear since the mid-1980s, when Springsteen would lead into his cover performances of Edwin Starr's 1970 hit 'War' with a warning against the risks of putting blind faith in political leaders. 'It's still true today,' Wilcock said. Francis Condron, 55, from Salford, England, said Saturday's show, his fourth Springsteen concert, was brilliant—especially because he dialed up the politics and attacked Trump. Condron, a former stagehand who now works in a warehouse, said he has long agreed with Springsteen's politics and called Springsteen's decision to attack Trump from the stage an act of courage. Some took specific offense at Trump's personal put-downs, such as calling the rocker 'dumb as a rock' and a 'dried out 'prune' of a rocker.' Clare Causier, 52, a native of Pontefract, England, offered her own rejoinder for the American president: 'He's an old dried up peach.' On Saturday, the White House dispensed with Trump's previous attacks on Springsteen's intelligence and looks, seeking instead to cast the debate as one between an elected leader and an out-of-touch celebrity. 'The 77 million Americans that elected President Trump disagree with elitist and out-of-touch celebrities like Bruce Springsteen,' said Taylor Rogers, the White House assistant press secretary. 'Bruce is welcome to stay overseas while hardworking Americans enjoy a secure border and cooling inflation thanks to President Trump.' Springsteen's Manchester shows are the start of his 'Land of Hope and Dreams' tour with his E Street Band that will also take him to France, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Spain and Liverpool, England. Write to Jonathan Cheng at and Michael R. Gordon at Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines to 100 year archives.
