Trump can only be stopped by the American people

Giorgos Mitralias writes: While, despite the two-week ceasefire, the war continues to rage, claiming thousands of lives and causing widespread destruction in the Middle East (Persian Gulf) and the Near East (Lebanon), everything now indicates that this Trump—battered by the Iranians, raving mad, delusional, trapped by his own hand, and threatened with soon finding himself in a position of… Checkmate (as if by chance, the expression derives from the Persian shâh mât, meaning “the king is ambushed/helpless”), is willing to commit—and to claim! —the worst war crimes and crimes against humanity in order not to lose face and to cling to power. Moreover, everything indicates too that there is no country capable of or determined to stop Trump and his apocalyptic delusions.

Thus, a nearly unanimous realization is taking hold: salvation from the existential threat to humanity posed by Trump can come only from within his own country, from the American people themselves! These American people, who, moreover, not only already overwhelmingly oppose Trump’s wars and policies, but are also beginning to take to the streets en masse across the country to protest against “King” Trump and his nightmarish messianism. And it is no coincidence that the first to acknowledge and take this prospect very seriously is Trump himself. A Trump who is already doing everything in his power to prevent this possibility, which could play out disastrously for him in the highly critical midterm elections this coming November.

So, given everything we already know about the utter contempt Trump harbors for the laws and constitution of his own bourgeois and capitalist class, we can legitimately ask the following question, which is by no means rhetorical: Who would dare to claim that Trump is willing to accept, without reacting violently, an electoral defeat that would result in new parliamentary majorities (in the Senate and the House of Representatives) voting for his “impeachment,” and thus his removal from power?

However, it would be naive to believe that Trump will calmly await the results of these midterm elections before reacting violently. In reality, it is more than likely that, anticipating this disastrous outcome for himself, Trump will not hesitate to do everything in his power to prevent these elections from taking place. How? By inventing a (new) war or any major crisis that would serve as a pretext to declare a state of emergency in the country. This would allow him not only to drastically restrict democratic rights and freedoms, but also to realize his long-held dream: to rule his country—the world’s leading superpower—as a dictator! This, of course, will not happen without triggering a chain of (violent) reactions, particularly within the presidential majority and the already severely fractured MAGA movement.(1) Not to mention the U.S. military, where the first calls for disobedience to the White House’s (illegal) orders have been made public; nor the country’s economic elites, now divided; nor the rest of American society—and especially those from below—who may want to settle the score once and for all…

This is no longer a political fiction scenario, nor a distant possibility. Preparations for this showdown are already in full swing, with only eight months to go before the midterm elections. It is clear, then, that the current situation is fraught with unexpected twists and surprises that are blurring the traditional view of the U.S. political landscape, dominated by a two-party system that monopolizes power and the White House. Indeed, the trend observed over the past several years—marked by Americans’ disaffection with the two traditional parties, as well as by the extreme political polarization of American society—continues and is even intensifying to the point of reaching historic highs. But what is perhaps even more significant is that this disaffection is more pronounced among Democrats, even though their party is no longer in power.

Thus, according to a CNN poll published a few days ago,(2) those who say they intend to vote for the Democrats in the midterm elections appreciate their Democratic Party far less than those who will vote Republican appreciate theirs. In short, Democrats will turn out en masse to vote against Trump rather than in favor of their party, which they view as discredited! And the same holds true for those classified as “independents,” who plan to turn out in droves to punish Trump’s Republicans, while also opposing the Democratic Party’s lackluster resistance to the Trump administration.

The lesson to be drawn from the results of this survey—which, incidentally, are confirmed daily by the twists and turns of the country’s political and social life—is that the American two-party system is currently undergoing its most serious crisis, its historic crisis. Above all, the even deeper crisis within the Democratic Party and its “establishment” makes the creation of a third mass party—one that autonomously and independently represents workers and those at the bottom—not only possible but imperative.

However, it must be acknowledged that, for the time being, the voices in favor of creating this third workers’ party in the United States can be counted on one hand. Virtually no one among the leading figures of the independent or semi-independent left within the Democratic Party dares yet to publicly call for either a definitive break with that party or the building of a new major socialist organization. And this is despite the fact that progressive organizations like Working Families and socialist groups like the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) boast more than 600,000 members in the former and more than 100,000 members in the latter. And also, and above all, even though the various political clones of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani are multiplying all over the country, following the example of this new rising star of the Democrats in… Texas, the young and utterly atypical pastor James Talarico, who is making a splash by declaring all-out war on “Christian Nationalists,” with very radical views on burning issues ranging from workers’ rights, women’s and LGBT rights to the uncompromising defense of Palestinians against Israel, the denunciation of war against Iran, and the unequivocal condemnation of fossil fuel policies in the name of the fight against climate catastrophe.

However, let us not despair, for this lack of clear and unambiguous positions in favor of the third major left-wing party is likely to be short-lived. Why? Because we firmly believe that Trump will never admit defeat, and, bolstered by that solid 32–33% of Americans who blindly follow him and have supported even his worst “madness” for the past 10 years, he will do absolutely everything to cling to power. And this is true even if he loses the midterm elections, resulting in his impeachment by the new majorities in the Senate and the House of Representatives. In such a situation, which would foreshadow a veritable civil war, the creation of this third party of workers and all those willing to fight against Trump and his fascist reaction will appear as an almost existential necessity. Therefore, the duty of leftists who are even slightly far-sighted and responsible is not to wait until the last minute, but to begin preparations now for the creation of this great fighting force of those from below. For now every minute counts, and the class enemy is powerful, terribly ferocious, and no longer hides its apocalyptic intentions…

Notes

1. See our article Libertarians vs. Neoconservatives War is splitting the Trumpist leadership!

2. A new CNN poll reveals how people mad at both parties see the midterms