After more than six weeks in office it is still impossible to forecast the durability or direction of the Trump Presidency. The Media Class and Far Right Alliance have no doubt that he is an enemy to be destroyed without delay, and that should give members of the Broad Right some reassurance. Add to that the treachery and rage of the collaborationist Republicans, and what is there to worry about concerning the direction of the Trump Presidency?
And yet, every other day brings a Trump initiative that might be evidence of an impulsive opportunist only vaguely committed to steering in the particular direction of Nationalism. His latest visit and speech at the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History, where he spent time denouncing anti-Semitism and ‘bigotry’, combined with his frequent calls for the unity of the American people make this writer a little uncomfortable. His acceptance of the grotesque same-sex marriage as ‘settled law’, his backtracking on NATO, and his troop postings in Eastern Europe are other examples of what seems to be a lack of a determined Nationalist direction.
It is hard at these times to put aside the nagging reminder that although Trump dabbled in politics over many years, he fraternized with Democrats, Media people and collaborationist Republicans and had no attachments to the Right. We have no idea what it was that suddenly aroused his concern for the survival of the Nation State and its working people, and propelled him to risk his business, his family, his reputation and his life. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating and Trump has passed a number of significant Nationalist tests. Even more importantly he has, without political experience, won an election against the greatest odds, stepped into America’s most powerful office, endured a baptism of fire in his first weeks, shown no signs of defeatism and done some great things.
If he entered the political arena with a lot of naivete and lacking a compass, the opposition has now revealed itself, much of it stepping out of the shadows where it has long enjoyed obscurity, and in so doing has clearly defined for him the great ideological divide between a long-losing Nationalism and an assertive, advancing Internationalism. If Trump once was ignorant of, and disinterested in, the divide, he has received a thorough education. Unlike all his Republican predecessors in the White House and in Congress since Reagan, Trump is now fully aware that the Mainstream Media is an evil and anti-American political movement and one he must confront every day.
If Trump is sincere in his Nationalism – and his public appearances at rallies suggest that his commitment to the ordinary working people is heartfelt – the opposition is creating his ideological compass for him. What we might be seeing is that Trump is capable of some very fancy footwork. Most likely he is aware that there is very little chance of this divided Nation uniting for America, aware that the vast majority of African-Americans will remain hostile, and conscious that the Jews who dominate the Mainstream Media will still attack him. Perhaps he is just intent on confusing the enemy, claiming some cheaply-purchased moral high ground, and creating a smoke screen as he gets his cabinet in place and postpones the violent day-of-reckoning that is the approaching civil war.
Some on the Broad Right worry that he is moving away from a rapprochement with Russia and signing up to the neocon/Far Left hostility to Putin. Here again maybe Trump is being smart and not under-estimating Putin’s patience and ability to see down the road. Let us also be patient and assume that Trump is learning on the job, being educated by the enemy, and acquiring an ideological compass.