Rachel Maddow sounded the alarm on Tuesday about Donald Trump potentially ushering in the downfall of the republic by ordering the military to roll through the streets of the nation’s capital like a third world dictatorship.
The MSNBC host said that what happened this week has been at the top of Trump’s wishlist since the day he took office, when he openly fantasized about tanks and other military hardware rolling down the D.C. streets for his inauguration.
“It took three-plus years of him in office, but he finally got his military in the streets,” Maddow said, adding that the events of the past few days fall somewhere on the “death of the republic scale.”
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Rachel Maddow says having military in the streets of the nation’s capital has been Donald Trump’s goal since day one. #ctl #p2 #maddow pic.twitter.com/KoVHa8QuBx
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) June 3, 2020
Maddow said:
It has been a creepy, evident lust of this president since literally his first day in office that he wanted to see this. That he wanted to see military hardware, missile launchers, tanks, aircraft all rolled out and put on display for him. He literally wanted tanks and missile launchers rolled down the streets of Washington D.C. for his inauguration. You may also remember that his inauguration was a disappointment for the president in lots of ways, not least because he got an ill-attended tractor parade and baton twirlers instead of the missile launchers and Abrams tanks that he wanted ripping up D.C.’s streets to celebrate him. It took three plus years of him in office, but he finally got his military in the streets. One of the things that has been weighing extra heavily on the sort of death of the republic scale that we all keep handy these days is that no one will quite admit in the Trump administration and even in the military as to what it is exactly they’re doing with these threats to use the U.S. military against the American people. No one will quite admit to what exactly they’re participating in and who exactly is making it happen and what exactly is being unfurled here.
For the next five months, it’s only going to get worse
In the middle of another crisis he is incapable of managing, Donald Trump chose to go for the power grab – something he has been itching to do since he took office in 2017.
But instead of projecting strength, he cemented himself in history as perhaps the weakest leader this country has ever seen. As he becomes more desperate in the coming weeks and months, he will become increasingly dangerous.
It’s been said by many over the past few days, but it bears repeating: If this is what Trump is willing to do to get a good photo op in the middle of a crisis, just imagine what he’ll do to retain his power come November.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
