The siege within

President Donald Trump did what was expected, not what he ought to have done. Using the majestic background of the carved likeness of four former US Presidents at Mount Rushmore, he failed, as he repeatedly has, to send a message that would heal the divisiveness that has become widely pervasive in the US. Instead, he exploited the racial and social divisions Americans face as they battle the novel coronavirus and the increasing disenchantment with police policies and behaviour. He sought to spin the message of the Black Lives Matter movement and racial justice protests that have rocked hundreds of cities by calling them a ‘left-wing cultural revolution’ that wants to rewrite US history. Instead of batting for more responsible policing, he sought to bolster his law-and-order message that calls for strict policing and protection of statues and other monuments.

President Trump’s holding the pre-independence day event at Mount Rushmore was controversial to begin with. It faced objections of the local native Indian tribes whose land it is on, and health professionals. The fireworks that followed were banned in recent years because of fear that they could cause forest fires. On top of that was the danger of gathering a large number of supporters for a ‘mask-optional’ event, at a time when the infection rates and deaths due to Covid-19 are mounting. Indeed, his ill-conceived and ill-attended ‘no masks’ rally at Tulsa last month was followed by a record surge in the cases there.

Historically, Independence Day functions have been used to showcase the unity of spirit of the United States of America by various US Presidents, notably Trump’s immediate predecessor, Barack Obama. The US is facing the twin challenges of the pandemic as well as social unrest on a vast scale. Both require a healing touch, forged by an empathic understanding of the issues and a rational approach, clearly articulated and acted upon. That was not what came from their President even as he stood under the gaze of past Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, and television cameras.

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