It’s certainly no secret that the majority of Americans hate Donald Trump with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. When the guy is actively trying to kill us all with a pandemic, it’s damn hard not to. However, those of us who are direct victims of Trump’s science experiment with an entire country at his disposal aren’t the only ones with deep-seated ire and disdain for the guy.
This week, Germany’s leading and Europe’s largest-circulating news magazine, Der Spiegel, released a cover story that hones in and hammers down on Donald Trump’s complete inability to properly govern a country in any conceivable way.
And let me just start by say: The cover art is FIRE. Literally.
Take a look:
Der Feuerteufel – Ein Präsident setzt sein Land in Brand.
Der neue SPIEGEL ist jetzt online – und ab morgen am Kiosk: https://t.co/jMJCX8fmLO pic.twitter.com/oRp1xUht9s
— DER SPIEGEL (@derspiegel) June 5, 2020
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Translated, the cover features a caption that reads, “The fire devil – A president sets fire to his country.”
To promote this week’s cover that hails from one of the most influential publications on the entire European continent, the magazine has released the cover with the following statement:
George Floyd’s death triggered a wave of protest. Many blacks, already on the losing side due to the coronavirus, are fed up with everyday racism in their country. And what is Donald Trump doing? He’s fueling hatred to distract from his own failure. And trying to secure his reelection with highly questionable methods.”
The cover story, penned by journalists Guido Mingels, Roland Nelles, Ralf Neukirch, René Pfister and Marc Pitzke with the headline, “Democracy On The Defensive In Trump’s America,” featured a subhead that was equally blistering:
Coronavirus, economic collapse and now mass demonstrations for racial equality: The United States is facing a trio of deep crises. Instead of offering leadership, President Donald Trump is exacerbating divisions and showing authoritarian tendencies. With the presidential election still several months away, the country’s health is at stake.”
And don’t think for a moment that the contents of the story aren’t every bit as fiery as the cover. Take a look at this key passage in the article:
Trump and his political accessories are using the rhetoric of authoritarianism. Militarized police forces haven’t just been using violence to quell plundering and rioting, they have also been attacking peaceful demonstrators. Journalists have been arrested as well.
Should we be worried about the United States? Is a fundamental shift taking place in a country that is synonymous with deeply rooted democracy? The current chaos on the streets of America isn’t just the product of the country’s economic and societal tensions. The president himself has repeatedly exacerbated those conflicts with his rhetoric. Trump, it seems, needs the chaos. He feeds off it.
Few other democratically elected leaders have as much power as the U.S. president, a reality that can lead to abuse. Trump has made personal loyalty the most important qualification for those with whom he surrounds himself. He harbors deep admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin and once voiced his support for the violent crushing of the pro-democracy protests on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, saying it was a sign of strength.
The Russia investigation and his impeachment did not show him the limits of his power, and instead awakened in him a desire to hit back hard and to get rid of anyone within government who does not fulfill his every whim. In the waning months of his first term in office, just a few months before Election Day, he is increasingly putting his authoritarian tendencies on full display.
The rest of the world is worried about us, and rightfully so. It’s high time we clean this nation of its biggest and most dangerous embarrassment before the United States officially becomes a third world country.
You can read the full article here.
Featured image via Unsplash/Library of Congress
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