Things are about to get much worse for Donald Trump — normally good news for many, but on this one, we all may be joining him in grabbing for a lifeline. It is going to be an extremely dangerous summer.
Things will get increasingly expensive, pushing already serious tension further into the red. We’re in a war that doesn’t seem to have a tidy end in sight. Famously thin-skinned Donald Trump will be increasingly on edge as poll numbers plummet. A desperate election season looms, Democrats looking for any toehold, too ripe for protests in the streets. And all this is made much worse by the fact that the United States was supposed to be the center of attention this summer anyway. Just not like this.
Despite the fact that precious few of us want to celebrate where our nation stands right now, there is no getting around the fact that we actually stand 250 years old as of July 4th, and that somewhat mandates concentration and a party that many already plan to consequentially disrupt — ideally peacefully, but with serious risk that the option will be tossed aside, all while we’re having the world over for a summer slam FIFA World Cup.
Well.
Any single one of the above facts would drive the nation to extremes of some kind under this president. With all vectors converging, the only thing off the table seems to be a peaceful, mature, and joyous sense of celebrated optimism about the next two years, never mind 200. To the extent any of this sounds like regular political column hyperbole, check on FIFA — probably filling Ativan prescriptions as we speak, along with tourist operators in World Cup cities, already seeing deflated ticket sales and room reservations.
It is not like any of this is under the radar; people are already responding. From a report in Newsweek:
Vijay Dandapani, President and CEO of the Hotel Association of New York City, told Newsweek that demand tied to the World Cup had so fallen far short of expectations. While hotels had anticipated an additional 1.2 million international visitors during the competition, Dandapani said bookings at New York hotels were up by “a maximum of 10 percent year-on-year,” and that nearly half had “seen no business thus far.”
It is difficult for Americans to grasp the enormity of what the World Cup means to, well, the world. We have the Super Bowl. The globe sees the Cup as akin to several dozen Super Bowls with several billion fans. Despite the undeniably intoxicating allure, foreign citizens are staying away — content to watch from afar.
It is almost like they know something.
But just because fewer will actually be here, with fewer Americans traveling around here, it only means we will be on more screens everywhere. And just like the major embarrassment that washed over us as kids when our parents got angry in front of our friends, Americans on the receiving end of the world’s shame will do what we often did as kids — lash out, a dynamic we could easily see from the Oval Office to Portland. Of course, that’s when it’s on, dangerous if the gloves come off.
Now, there is no doubt that there are many potentially problematic Americans who will retort, “Yes, but we already have a global threat in the Oval Office, he’s already killing people in the Middle East and on our streets, something must be done because there is no longer any way through this just sitting back biding time, we cannot get there from here without some danger and inevitable pain.” Seen in one light, it’s hard to argue.
History teaches that there are points at which things must be made temporarily worse to bring about the means to make things better. Of course, there are also occasions in which such attempts merely acted as an accelerant to even darker, more dangerous times. Clearly, something must be done, some statement made, which requires serious analysis of the most effective, most sympathetic, and most mature response. We could surprise the world.
In a nod to the Founding Fathers, we need something akin to the Boston Tea Party, a global statement. No one died, no ship burned.
Think about the power of replacing fireworks with candles, marches instead of riots, Ghandi and King over Pinochet. We would get the most bang for the buck by setting aside any bang. Any doubts as to whether it would be enough need only look to the example set by the world leader most effectively living in Trump’s head right now, Pope Leo, and the overwhelming power of decency and restraint, especially as applied to “our” president. He cannot stand it.
Fine. But one would be forgiven for seeing such a scenario as all but impossible, even were this summer to be a relatively normal “Trump Presidency Summer.” Add all those vectors, and the result could almost inevitably be nuclear. Except for one element that needs very serious consideration.
We already know that President Donald Trump loves bombing and invading. We already know he believes that his biggest enemy is “the Left.” We already know that he won’t abide by elections going against him, and a blue wave seems imminent.
Already, deep in the recesses of our ultra-concerned minds, we know that Trump yearns to unleash true presidential power on America’s streets, a civil-military invasion of all things Democratic. We already know that once done, should it come to pass, it is looking increasingly like it would take a real battle, a kinetic battle, to Constitutionally root out a man in a bunker, declaring national emergencies.
Such thoughts used to be unthinkable, and yet some in the world see it as inevitable. According to the Atlantic, China expects an inner battle in which the U.S. defeats itself:
In private conversations and public writings, China’s leaders and their advisers often describe America as “declining but dangerous”—a late-stage power prone to bursts of aggression in the hopes of arresting its slide.
Prone to bursts of aggression in the hopes of arresting its slide? Sound like anyone you know? The danger is there, but the right response could redirect the danger back on Trump – a man we know the world already refuses to support.
Hence, if you don’t like where things stand now and believe action is necessary, strongly consider whether the wrong type of action could moot all future action, generational inaction, military rule, a fascist state in which Trump and his successor see elections like Putin sees elections, an adorably affirming exercise.
But action is necessary, and it will never be more impactful than it happening while the world watches and right at what will be a turning point in American history, a fork in the road, we all sense it.
On the way out, picture this. Argentina is playing Spain in a crucial July game in Chicago. One hundred thousand people are jammed into a stadium. Downtown is just jammed. Two billion around the world watch on. Consider two scenarios: protesters determined to strike a blow and make a statement, set Chicago on fire, people die, property destroyed, and troops deployed. Or, the parks around the stadium are jammed with 250,000 protesters, with fires lit on a single candle, holding vigil, drinking tea, a modern tea party, a statement in opposition to the urgent recklessness of our leaders.
Candles might overshine Trump, perhaps putting him personally in decline.
There is no escaping the converging vectors. Not for us. Not for Trump. Someone is going to lose this summer, or at least lose “worse.” America could experience its own Kristallnacht – the danger is just breathless. Helpfully, there are countless examples of effective overwhelming protest, the American Pope Leo leading the way. This convergence creates a window, and what the world sees while looking in could bring Trump down.
No escaping it now, this will happen. The world will see what we will see, and we could see anything. In a summer of surprises, let’s hope we see hope. After all, converging vectors could powerfully redirect. It could go either way, but won’t go away. The world will record what happens here in real time; history’s judgment awaits on the other side of summer.
Jason Miciak is a Rawstory Columnist at Large. He is former associate editor at Occupy Democrats, an author, attorney, and single parent girldad. His latest novel will be out… this summer. Follow him on Bluesky and he can be reached at [email protected]
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