Trump’s culture war

On the nation’s birthday weekend, any other president would speak to our better angels, encouraging the American people to overcome together multiple challenges of pandemic, economic distress and racial unrest. Not President Trump. Barely mentioning 130,000 dead or the righteous pain of those marching against structural racism and for criminal justice reform, Trump stood before Mount Rushmore to accuse those calling America to account for its imperfect past of launching a “merciless campaign to wipe out our history.” Here, he conveniently lumped together those who demand a righteous reckoning with monuments to Confederate generals and their treasonous flag, on the one hand, and those who mistakenly call for statues of the Founding Fathers to be toppled on the other.

Trump then declared that “defeating the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters…” today was akin to the feats of “American heroes [who] defeated the Nazis, dethroned the fascists,” “toppled the communists” and fought terrorism.

Of course, he forgot about the Southern war to preserve slavery, the quintessential act of American treachery. On that front, Trump has threatened to veto a defense funding bill that removes Confederate names from military bases. Monday, Trump tweeted his disgust with NASCAR for banning “the Flag” — the Confederate flag, earning his capital respect — from racetracks. And assailed the Washington football team for finally reconsidering changing its name from a racist epithet.

Perhaps Trump could be convinced if the team chose to honor him. The Washington Demagogues has a nice ring to it.