A retired Marine general has warned that Donald Trump’s recent actions could endanger the future of American democracy. Four-star General John Allen voiced his concerns on Thursday.
Allen criticized the President’s controversial visit to St. John’s Church in Washington, D.C. on Monday.
“To even the casual observer, Monday was awful for the United States and its democracy,” Allen wrote in Foreign Policy.
“Donald Trump isn’t religious, has no need of religion, and doesn’t care about the devout, except insofar as they serve his political needs,” the general said.
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“The President failed to project any of the higher emotions or leadership desperately needed in every quarter of this nation during this dire moment.”
“We know why he did all this on Monday,” Allen wrote.
“He even said so while holding the Bible and standing in front of the church. It was about MAGA—’making America great again’.”
Allen echoed the words of George Floyd‘s brother, Terence, who called for peaceful protests and voting.
“So, while June 1 could easily be confused with a day of shame and peril if we listen to Donald Trump, if instead we listen to Terrence Floyd, it is a day of hope,” Allen said.
“So mark your calendars—this could be the beginning of the change of American democracy not to illiberalism, but to enlightenment.”
“But it will have to come from the bottom up. For at the White House, there is no one home.”
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Darragh Roche is a journalist covering U.S. politics and media
