Resistance against Donald Trump escalates to a frenzied state
In the heart of North Carolina, a Democratic rally, in a region traditionally leaning towards the Republicans, stirred with a whiff of the divisive political climate under Trump's second term. Sheila Sullivan, a retired Connecticut State Department official, was taken aback by the modern American political landscape during the initial hundred days of Trump's presidency.
"Have you heard that Trump claims the price of eggs dropped by 93% since his return to power? absurd, right?" she quipped, sporting a grin. "If true, a dozen eggs should cost 30 or 40 cents in stores, but it isn't. It's still over $5, $6, or $7. But, his supporters don't seem to mind. They'll still believe him, even when confronted with the exact prices in grocery stores."
She added, "That, my friend, is the state we've reached as a country. And it's us they're labeling as the crazy, unbalanced folks..."
Trump's second stint - reaching its 100th day on Tuesday - has fortified the schism between Republicans and Democrats, set against a backdrop of radical reforms, assaults on the judicial system, border wars, and shift in foreign policies. Empowered by another electoral triumph, the populist is determined to implement his ultra-conservative agenda, with authoritarian undertones, by stifling dissenting voices.
He achieved this by ousting government officials, muzzling the civil service, threat tactic against law firms, and branding opposing voices as "left-wing nuts," "enraged" individuals, or even, increasingly, people detached from reality. This method led to the emergence of "Trump Derangement Syndrome" (TDS), a terms that Trump’s defenders have been waving for several weeks to downplay, or even ridicule, the criticisms and widespread apprehensions about the policies of the current Oval Office occupant and their impact on American democracy, administration, human rights, and foreign relations.
Last week, on Fox News, a leading pro-Trump media, an entire segment was devoted to justifying the cries of Trump's opponents, who he claims resonate in a "fantasy universe," and are driven by individuals trying to impose an alternate reality.
In Minnesota, a group of five Republican legislators went a step further, introducing a bill a few weeks ago to officially recognize TDS as a mental illness. According to the draft, symptoms of TDS may include "verbal expressions of intense anger" towards Trump and "manifest acts of aggression and violence" against Trump supporters or anything symbolizing the president.
The Minnesota Republican senator, Glenn Gruenhagen, who proposed the bill, sees it as a means to address not merely political disagreements, but the "irrational behaviors" they incite.
"Individuals with different political persuasions can have dissimilar views. We should be able to engage in civil debates without reacting violently or irrationally, such as burning Tesla dealerships, threatening people wearing MAGA hats, or road rage in response to a car bearing a Trump sticker," he wrote on Facebook to support his stance.
Considering Minnesota's legislature is under the control of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, the bill holds no chance of passage.
A Tactic to Curb Dissent
Minimizing opposition as a movement swayed by madness isn't a new strategy. It's a "rhetorical tactic" used to "curtail discussions on the president" and safeguard one's own ideology from being challenged, as Jacob Neiheisel, an associate professor of political science at the University of Buffalo, recently summed up on the Huffington Post.
He points out that the effectiveness of this approach to stifle dissent is questionable, but "any action that Inhibits debate and diminishes the validity of other viewpoints remains detrimental to the overall health of a democratic system."
George Sawyer, a young democratic activist who attended the rally in North Carolina, held specifically within the district of Republican representative Richard Hudson, anticipates a backlash. "Americans dislike being told what to do. Telling us to be silent will only make us speak louder," he states.
The latest Ipsos poll commissioned by ABC News and the Washington Post shows that Trump currently boasts one of the lowest approval ratings for a president in the last 80 years, with 55% of those surveyed disapproving of his presidency's direction.
However, Trump remains wildly popular among Republicans, with 86% still backing his actions, according to a Sunday poll by CNN. His influence over the party remains substantial: in March, more than 70% of these Republicans claimed they wholeheartedly embraced the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement since Trump's re-entry in the White House, up from 55% who were proud of it before the November Presidential election, according to NBC News.
"I'm unsure where I stand on this matter," summarized Chuck Paul, a South-Kentucky Republican encountered in a marina on Douglas Lake. "Maybe Trump should avoid mistreating his allies by taking to heart what the Bible advises: doing unto others as we would have them do unto us. But ultimately, I still have confidence in his actions and policies. His presence in Washington is part of a force that transcends us," he concluded, gazing upwards.
Between rationale and irrationality, Democratic advocate Gary Ball, who confesses to seeking hope in the future and to encourage Democrats to speak up more in public, seems to have chosen his stance by attending the North Carolina rally. "What's irrational," he states, "is not us. It's witnessing the Constitution being sidestepped each day."
"Talking about 'syndrome' is merely a way to evade the core issues, and it won't work," added Bucky Cox, a former federal agent. "They can stay in their own bubble and concentrate on what's crucial after 100 days of Trump: safeguarding our nation."
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- To watch in video
- In the midst of the rhetoric at the Democratic rally in North Carolina, Sheila Sullivan, a retired official, expressed concerns about the current political landscape, particularly the claim that the price of eggs has dropped significantly during Trump's second term.
- Despite Trump's assertion, Sheila noted that the price of eggs remains over $5, $6, or $7 in stores, which she finds absurd.
- However, she observed that Trump's supporters continue to believe him, even when confronted with the actual prices in grocery stores, reflecting the growing divide in American politics.
- In another part of the country, Minnesota Republican legislators introduced a bill to officially recognize Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) as a mental illness, claiming that symptoms may include intense anger towards Trump and acts of aggression against his supporters.
- This bill, proposed by Republican senator Glenn Gruenhagen, aims to address irrational behaviors inspired by political disagreements, but it faces opposition from the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party that controls Minnesota's legislature.
- Critics, such as Jacob Neiheisel, an associate professor of political science at the University of Buffalo, argue that labelling opposition as mentally ill is a tactic to curtail discussions on the president and undermine democratic discussions, ultimately leading to detrimental consequences for the democratic system.
