George Graham

A Real and Present Danger

 

I didn’t tune into Trump’s rally last night. I figured I already knew what he was going to say. And why.

So when I read this morning that TV viewers – and CNN’s Don Lemon – were shocked and appalled, I wasn’t surprised. From the reports I read, this was one of Trump’s most “unhinged” performances yet.

But I don’t think Trump is “unhinged.” I think I know what he is trying to do. And it’s frightening.

He’s rallying his base for war.

He knows that Robert Mueller cannot fail to find some nasty stuff as he digs into the Russian hacking scandal. Stuff that will probably lead to Trump’s impeachment. And possibly to criminal charges.

When that happens, Trump’s “alt-right” base will be primed for a violent response. And you can bet the “alt-left” will fight back.

What happens then is anyone’s guess. Will the Army be loyal to the Constitution? Or will some or all of the military side with Trump? Will mainstream Americans take to the streets? Will there be a full-scale civil war?

Will this be the end of democracy in America?

I know it seems unlikely.  This is a civilized country after all. We don’t normally settle our differences by killing each other. We are ruled by law.

But everything about Trump is unlikely. Nobody thought he would win the presidency. Nobody thought he would act the way he does as president.

Desperate men do desperate things. Trump is no Nixon. He will not meekly surrender the presidency. And even if he wanted to, his associates wouldn’t let him.

There’s too much at stake.

More on the rally

About the author

gwgraeme

I am a Jamaican-born writer who has lived and worked in Canada and the United States. I live in Lakeland, Florida with my wife, Sandra, our three cats and two dogs. I like to play golf and enjoy our garden, even though it's a lot of work. Since retiring from newspaper reporting I've written a few books. I also write a monthly column for Jamaicans.com