The politics of threats and coercion of Donald Trump over the Wall with Mexico is pushing America on the brink of a manufactured national emergency.
Welcome to instability. Donald Trump is threatening to call a fake “national emergency” and misuse his executive powers to build the Wall without congressional approval at the moment when America neither has a Secretary of Defence nor a DoD Chief of Staff. That’s irresponsible.
Last night, President Trump tweeted: “I am pleased to inform you that I will Address the Nation on the Humanitarian and National Security on our Southern Border. Tuesday night at 9:00 PM Eastern”
The instability of the American political system is a new reality that is characteristic of underdeveloped democracies and countries which are going through the turbulent transition. Why is this political havoc happening in the United States?
The politics of coercion by the inhabitant of the highest office can be best summarized in My way or the highway type of logic. Trump’s leadership style is coercive and based on blackmail that resulted in the government shutdown over the wall with Mexico. He neither showed mercy, nor consideration for the federal employees who are working over two weeks now without pay. Ruthless Manhattan’s real estate developer cannot relate to those who need their checks, SSI, and Medicaid as otherwise, he would not put them in a hostage situation over his campaign promise.
On January 4, 2019, in yet another last-minute media spectacle in the Rose Garden, Trump made a blatant lie about how those he put under existential threat, are his supporters who agree with what he’s doing.
“I’m very proud of doing what I’m doing. I don’t call it a shutdown. I call it “doing what you have to do for the benefit and for the safety of our country.”
Swiftly and without providing any substantial evidence Trump announced that the government shutdown is “ a problem of terrorists…we have terrorists coming through the southern border because they find that’s probably the easiest place to come through.”
Fear mongering is a proven technique of swaying the public opinion. George Bush used the fake threat of weapons of mass destruction to invade Iraq and alongside his pal, Tony Blair got away with it. With a lack of any evidence to show to the public,Trump is learning quickly, to just say “it’s classified”. However, there is no reason for the numbers of alleged terrorists he is claiming to be crossing the border to be classified, especially if they are detained and awaiting prosecution.
Show me the money
“We set out a number — $5.6 billion. We’re very firm on a number,” Trump is unwavering with the Democrats. The absurdity of the American situation with The Wall is that Trump is now suddenly discussing semantics and the design of the “Berlin Wall” with Mexico.
“Listen, if I build a wall, and the wall is made out of steel instead of concrete, I think people will like that,” he said. Is he auditioning for the Property Brothers?
Barrier or the wall, “It’s just words”, Trump wants us to believe, but these same words about how he was going to build The Wall are sending America on the brink of the manufactured national emergency. For that, he is responsible. Trump owns the shutdown.