The United States is on the boil with protests in 140 American cities, after George Floyd’s killing, turning violent in many places and leading to the activation of the National Guard in 21 cities. In the midst of the ongoing crisis, President Donald Trump has been making sharp statements condemning the rioters, arsonists and pillagers.
The riots have sharply altered electoral dynamics in the United States. Trump who was seen as the front-runner, especially after the impeachment move made by the Democrats failed and backfired, had suffered a bit of a setback during the Coronavirus Pandemic. But with Trump emerging as the only face that can handle the riots and looting that have taken grip of the United States, he is bound to garner greater support.
In the past month, there was a bit of a dip in the approval ratings for Donald Trump, and according to a poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos, he was trailing behind Joe Biden by eight per cent points among registered voters.
At the root of this dip was a failure to properly manage the Pandemic in the United States, as Trump was making certain unscientific and bizarre statements from the very beginning. Initially, he downplayed it believing that the Summer heat will kill the virus, then he suggested injecting disinfectants to kill the virus and to make things worse he toured a mask factory without wearing a mask during the ongoing Pandemic.
Trump was ready to compromise public health for the sake of American economy, but partial lockdowns and restrictions had to be imposed. More than 1,00,000 small businesses getting shuttered due to the Coronavirus-induced partial lockdowns meant diminishing support for Trump.
But this is when the protests following George Floyd’s custodial death turned violent. The protests that were supposed to have started in solidarity with the cause of the African-Americans soon turned into riots, looting and arson that has terrified everyone in the United States, including the African-American community.
The “Black Lives Matter” campaign has been hijacked by the political Left in the country and the agenda of these riots is to target and bring down the establishment and the Police, instead of demanding justice for George Floyd. His death is being weaponized by the White leftists.
In this video, an African-American woman can be seen narrating her woes amidst the ongoing riots. The riots have not galvanised public opinion against Trump, rather it has evoked sentiment against leftist forces that are pushing the country into anarchy.
President @realDonaldTrump is right.
We need law and order to stop the violent destruction of people’s livelihoods and communities. pic.twitter.com/45nEDf1B8z
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) June 2, 2020
Historically too, the United States is known to tilt towards Conservatism every time there are riots or street violence. The people of the United States of America do not support rioting, no matter who endorses it and for what purpose.
The Leftist forces might view the violence and riots that have taken grip of the United States as poetic justice and some form of legitimate revenge, but this hypothesis doesn’t find support in popular American sentiment.
No survey has ever found a majority support in any American constituency, White or Black, for vandalism and street violence.
In 1968, for example, the Democratic Party faced electoral backlash for urban chaos when it tried to push the narrative that policing was the cause of, and not the solution to chaotic conditions.
What Trump has now done is that he has called himself the “law and order” President, and has been more than direct in making it clear that he will deploy military to quell violence and vandalism if states and cities fail in their duties.
On the other hand, the Leftists find themselves standing strongly by the rioters who have pushed the country into chaos and tumult. Joe Biden, for example, is being highly unreasonable when he tweets, “He (Trump) tear-gassed peaceful protesters and fired rubber bullets.”
He's using the American military against the American people.
He tear-gassed peaceful protesters and fired rubber bullets.
For a photo.
For our children, for the very soul of our country, we must defeat him. But I mean it when I say this: we can only do it together. https://t.co/G1yE67q9Nz
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 2, 2020
How can we possibly call the protesters “peaceful” when the White House itself been insulted, forcing the President of the US to rush into a bunker for about an hour and the historic St. John’s Church near the White House too got damaged?
Every US President has attended a service at St. John’s since James Madison, and such scenes do terrify all patriotic Americans, whether they are hardened Trump supporters or fence-sitters.
After delivering an address in the Rose Garden, Trump also visited the St. John’s Church- a visual that is going to resonate strongly with every American who shares a sense of dissonance with the ongoing chaos.
It reinforces Trump’s image as the man who can fight the forces that burn the Bible and the US flag in shocking acts of lawlessness.
After delivering remarks in the Rose Garden, President @realDonaldTrump walked to St. John's Episcopal Church. pic.twitter.com/ufcfbKSGvU
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 1, 2020
President @realDonaldTrump holds his bible up in front of St. John's church in Washington D.C., which was burned by thugs last night. pic.twitter.com/es7gOkLeiw
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) June 1, 2020
🔴🇺🇲 Protesters burned the US flag near the White House. pic.twitter.com/Z3oIu3ODEm
— El Pueblo Informa (@_PuebloInforma) June 1, 2020
Before the riots, a number of fence-sitters, who decide the fate of any election in the United States or beyond, were getting disillusioned with the US President. But now the Conservatives seem like the only ones making some sense amidst the nationwide violence.
Trump and other Conservatives have stood strongly for George Floyd and his bereaved family. Trump said, “My administration is fully committed that, for George and his family, justice will be served. He will not have died in vain.”
At the same time, he added, “America needs creation, not destruction; cooperation, not contempt; security, not anarchy; healing, not hatred; justice, not chaos. This is our mission, and we will succeed. One hundred percent, we will succeed. Our country always wins.”
These remarks show that for everything that Trump represents, he remains the man who can ensure for all Americans, a sense of protection against the bigger evil, viz. anti-establishment violence and vandalism. The riots after George Floyd’s killing have made Trump more popular and it is going to show when the US goes to polls later this year.
