Peter Laurie
Dr. Peter Laurie | Barbados Today
History will look back on the Trump presidency as the last gasp of white supremacy in the US. This is not to say that after Trump’s defeat in November white racism will cease to exist, but it will be the beginning of a revolution.
First, what do we mean by ‘white supremacy’? This is an incoherent ideology that fantasises that white people are superior to all other peoples, especially black people and Jews, and are threatened by the rising tide of people of colour.
Second, what do we mean by ‘revolution’? We too often misunderstand revolution as a singular one-off event, but it is the initiation of a process of structural social change that has no end. It is never complete and its trajectory is rarely straightforward.
Donald Trump’s election in 2016 resulted from a resurgence of white supremacy in the form of a backlash against the election of the first black president of the US. This viral outbreak found its perfect vehicle in Donald Trump, who pledged – remember the Obama birther conspiracy? – to reverse everything Obama accomplished.
To understand the significance of Trump’s election, we have to place it in the context of a series of historical episodes that go back to the event that has had a determinative influence on all subsequent American history: THE INSTITUTION OF THE ENSLAVEMENT OF AFRICANS IN THE SOUTHERN COLONIES OF AMERICA IN 1619.
It is no exaggeration to say that every aspect of American history and culture — as, indeed, is the case with Barbados — is permeated by the consequences of slavery. The economic enslavement of Africans required an ideology to justify it: WHITE SUPREMACY.
Fast forward to the Civil War (1861-65) in which the Union of northern states, led by Abraham Lincoln, defeated the Confederacy of Southern States that had seceded to preserve slavery and white supremacy.
The Ku Klux Klan, formed in 1865, led a massive campaign of terrorism against black people in the form of lynchings, shootings and burnings. The South lost the war but won the battle for white supremacy, because although the enslaved African Americans were legally emancipated, there followed a period of virulent racism known as Jim Crow in which the Southern states passed ‘black code’ laws to control and segregate the emancipated blacks, deny them basic rights, and otherwise deprive them of the promise of freedom.
Statues and other symbols of the Confederacy sprouted like the Coronavirus all over the South — many of them in the early 20th century — at the same time as blacks remained oppressed and terrorised.
The Confederate flag became, and still is, a widespread symbol of white supremacy, not limited to the South but in rural parts of the Midwest. The virus had spread north in response to the migration of millions of blacks northward.
Fast forward again to 1964/65. Democratic President Lyndon Johnson, reacting to the relentless pressure exerted by the Civil Rights movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr., signed into law the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. One lasting result of the passage of this historic legislation was the shift of political allegiances in the white South from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party, which had hitherto been loathed because it had prosecuted the war against the Confederacy and had abolished slavery.
This demographic political realignment in the mid-sixties resulted in Republicans becoming the party of white supremacy, though usually expressed in subtle ways. Starting with Richard Nixon, ‘law and order’ became the slogan through which blacks were criminalised. This, coupled with Reagan’s ‘war on drugs’, led eventually to the mass imprisonment of black males in the US. The systems of criminal justice and law enforcement became increasingly forms of brutal control of black people, who were also subjected to discrimination in education, health, housing and employment opportunities.
THIS WAS NOT SURPRISING, SINCE IN THE SOUTH THE POLICE FORCES GREW OUT OF THE ‘SLAVE PATROLS’ WHOSE FUNCTION WAS TO CAPTURE RUNAWAY SLAVES, TERRORISE THE SLAVE POPULATION TO DETER REVOLTS, AND TO ADMINISTER SUMMARY ‘JUSTICE’.
The demographic political realignment – “the Southern Strategy” – meant that people of colour, including not only African Americans but also the growing Hispanic population and other minorities, began identifying with the Democratic Party, culminating in Barack Obama’s election in 2008 as the first black president.
Fast forward once again to 2012, and we come to the rise of Trumpism within the Republican Party. After Romney’s loss to Obama in the 2012 election, the Party conducted a soul-searching post-mortem and publicly concluded that it had to become a more inclusive and diverse party if it were not to be left electorally stranded by changing demographics i.e. the ‘browning of America’.
But a forceful dissent came from Donald Trump, who lambasted the Republican post-mortem as a sign of weakness and political correctness. Instead, drawing on the fevered fantasies of the extreme right, he proposed to win a maximum of the white vote with minimum support from people of colour.
His strategy had four prongs all designed to create and maintain a permanent white majority in the US if he were elected president.
First, Trump would deport 11 million Hispanics, build a wall on the southern border with Mexico, and change immigration policy to let in people, as he said, from places ‘like Norway rather than from shithole countries in Africa’. He would also ban Muslims from entering the country.
Second, Trump would intensify efforts to suppress the black vote and further criminalise blacks.
Third, Trump, a man devoid of any moral principles or one iota of faith, would garner and keep the electoral support of the religious right by promising to pack the Supreme Court with Justices who would overturn Roe v Wade and abolish a woman’s right to an abortion under any circumstances.
Trump not only got the support of most white Evangelicals but was also strongly backed by some of the neo-fascist hierarchy of the Catholic Church, like Archbishop Vigano, the former Papal Nuncio to the US and a bitter enemy of Pope Francis.
Fourth, Trump would appeal to the cultural resentments of the white working-class at becoming a demographic minority in ‘their own’ country by celebrating symbols of white supremacy like the Confederate flag. He would exploit their grievances at being left behind economically by promising to smash the liberal establishment elites who promoted the welfare of people of colour and illegal immigrants at their expense. And he offered several scapegoats: MUSLIMS, BLACKS, HISPANICS, AND ALL FOREIGNERS.
TRUMP SUMMED ALL THIS UP IN THE SLOGAN ‘MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN’, HARKENING BACK TO AN ERA OF WHITE DOMINANCE AND CONTROL.
Finally, Trump topped it off by a classic fascist tactic used by Hitler and Mussolini: ‘I ALONE CAN FIX IT’. He was the dominant white male devoid of scruples, who could smash his enemies and destroy the Washington Establishment that had for so long betrayed the white masses.
So began the cult of Trump that, like the Coronavirus, has now infected and taken over the Republican Party bereft of any ideology other than white supremacy, taxpayer-funded welfare for the rich, and the sycophantic adoration of the Great Leader.
Up to a few months ago, it looked as if Trump would get away with it since he seemed headed for re-election. Then a policeman murdered George Floyd in Minneapolis and all hell broke loose. An American tsunami of indignation swept across the country in protest against not only the brutal policing of black communities but also the systemic racism inherent in the ideology of white supremacy that impacted all aspects of black lives in the US.
A SEA CHANGE BEGAN TO OCCUR. Black Lives Matter went mainstream. People of all ethnicities joined in the demonstrations. All kinds of voices came out not just against bad cops but against the nature of policing and against the systemic racism in the criminal justice system and its links to white supremacy. NASCAR banned the use of the Confederate flag at its events. The head of the NFL apologised for criticising black players who knelt in protest during the national anthem, and so on.
THE GENIE IS NOW OUT OF THE BOTTLE. The social forces presently aligned against white supremacy are overwhelming. Trump’s disastrous handling of the pandemic, his uncaring response to Floyd’s murder, and his hostility to the Black Lives Matter movement have condemned him to the dustbin of history.
America is on the threshold of an era of transformation not just in respect of systemic racism, but also in rising to the challenges of dire economic inequality, inadequate health care, climate change, and rebuilding a world of international cooperation that Trump has ravaged.
Predicting the future is perilous, and no one should doubt that Trump will use every dirty trick in the book to avoid defeat, but the beginning of the demise of systemic white supremacy and the liberation of African Americans, accompanied by reparation for the damages done, and by the healing of their anguish, will release an outpouring of innovation, entrepreneurial energy, and artistic achievement the world will has rarely seen.
Indeed, the contribution of African Americans, even in oppressed circumstances, to America is such that American culture is in so many respects a profoundly ‘black’ culture, and when all Americans wake up and realise this, America will truly fulfil its promise of greatness.
Dr. Peter Laurie is a retired permanent secretary and head of the Foreign Service who once served as Barbados’ Ambassador to the United States
Comments
Regardless of your thoughts on those in power in the USA. If anyone thinks they will give up their control of the country think again. This New order that is trying to get a foot hold will meet thge same as ther native people. Total force to subjew them
I didn’t vote for Trump (or presently support him) but this article seems biased, inaccurate and misleading. Trump secured votes from a spectrum of society, not just white voters, but from a considerable number of black and minority groups that agreed with his rhetoric. It’s easy to “cherry pick” historical events and mislead with statistics to support a theory, it’s a tactic used too often to fuel a belief of injustice. Reminds me of Orwell’s “1984”. This article is very one-sided and will appeal to all readers wanting their news from an “echo chamber”.
First of all, no one cares whether you are a Trump supporter or not or whether you voted for Trump or not. Your comment is garbage.
You claim that the article seems biased and inaccurate. Things aren’t always what they appear to be.
This article states historical facts, pure and simple. Kudos to the author.
FACTS. FACTS. FACTS.
If there is any part of it that is inaccurate and fictional, point it. You should never let facts get in the way of your ignorance.
Bernard
Thank you Bernard your anger and faux outrage prove my point. You don’t know me, and i assure you I’m not ignorant and nor do I spout garbage. We don’t all have the same opinion so there’s no need to be so resentful when someone doesn’t agree with you. Breathe in, relax and be respectful.
Thanks Dr. LAURIE for a well-researched and eloquently articulated historical summary of this scourge.
Blessings to your wisdom and generosity!
PM
Brilliant analysis but I for one would be more circumspect about the conclusions here.
White supremacy walks often more in the dark than in daylight. many of those currently within the antiracism insurgency after Floyd’s brutal event may revert to the default state if and when they have time to reflect on the privileges they may get to be parted with should trumpism be aborted. They may within the dark of electoral democracy pinch their nose and cast a vote for Trump. Man is after all a very selfish construct where his core desires are threatened.
Basil jide fadipe. Dominica.
Thanks for stepping up, Bernard – I would rather ignore morons like “open debate”
You contradict yourself Clyde D, you’d “rather ignore” me yet feel compelled to respond? And of course, no surprise that rather than accept a differing opinion, you choose to be insulting. Poor show.
Thanks for posting. You might check out this essay. https://petersironwood.com/2017/01/09/trumpism-is-a-new-religion/
… a new “religion “.
beginning to look and feel so and only some form of exorcism may redeem things inside this new basilica whose only and towering pontiff is none other than Donald Trump.
Basil jide fadipe.
The essay by Peter Laurie is an excellent precursor to Wade Davis’ essay:
Peter Laurie:
FIRST, WHAT DO WE MEAN BY ‘WHITE SUPREMACY’? This is an incoherent ideology that fantasises that white people are superior to all other peoples, especially black people and Jews, and are threatened by the rising tide of people of colour.
Donald Trump’s election in 2016 resulted from a resurgence of white supremacy in the form of a backlash against the election of the first black president of the US.
This viral outbreak found its perfect vehicle in Donald Trump, who pledged – remember the Obama birther conspiracy? – to reverse everything Obama accomplished.
To understand the significance of Trump’s election, we have to place it in the context of a series of historical episodes that go back to the event that has had a determinative influence on all subsequent American history:
THE INSTITUTION OF THE ENSLAVEMENT OF AFRICANS IN THE SOUTHERN COLONIES OF AMERICA IN 1619.
It is no exaggeration to say that every aspect of American history and culture — as, indeed, is the case with Barbados — is permeated by the consequences of slavery. The economic enslavement of Africans required an ideology to justify it: WHITE SUPREMACY.
But a forceful dissent came from Donald Trump, who lambasted the Republican post-mortem as a sign of weakness and political correctness. Instead, drawing on the fevered fantasies of the extreme right, he proposed to win a maximum of the white vote with minimum support from people of colour.
His strategy had four prongs all designed to create and maintain a PERMANENT white majority in the US if he were elected president.
Fourth, Trump would appeal to the cultural resentments of the white working-class at becoming a demographic minority in ‘their own’ country by celebrating symbols of white supremacy like the Confederate flag. He would exploit their grievances at being left behind economically by promising to smash the liberal establishment elites who promoted the welfare of people of colour and illegal immigrants at their expense. And he offered several scapegoats:
MUSLIMS, BLACKS, HISPANICS, AND ALL FOREIGNERS.
TRUMP SUMMED ALL THIS UP IN THE SLOGAN ‘MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN’, HARKENING BACK TO AN ERA OF WHITE DOMINANCE AND CONTROL.
Finally, Trump topped it off by a classic fascist tactic used by Hitler and Mussolini: ‘I ALONE CAN FIX IT’.
He was the dominant white male devoid of scruples, who could smash his enemies and destroy the Washington Establishment that had for so long betrayed the white masses.
So began the cult of Trump that, like the Coronavirus, has now infected and taken over the Republican Party bereft of any ideology other than white supremacy, taxpayer-funded welfare for the rich, and the sycophantic adoration of the Great Leader.
Wade Davis:
Evidence of such terminal decadence is the choice that so many Americans made in 2016 to prioritize their personal indignations, placing their own resentments above any concerns for the fate of the country and the world, as they rushed to elect a man whose only credential for the job was his willingness to give voice to their hatreds, validate their anger, and target their enemies, real or imagined.
One shudders to think of what it will mean to the world if Americans in November, knowing all that they do, elect to keep such a man in political power. But even should Trump be resoundingly defeated; it is not at all clear that such a profoundly polarized nation will be able to find a way forward. For better or for worse, America has had its time.
Ex-Trump Aide Bannon Pleads NOT Guilty in Border Wall Scheme
Associated Press
NEW YORK – PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S FORMER CHIEF STRATEGIST, STEVE BANNON, WAS PULLED FROM A LUXURY YACHT AND ARRESTED ON ALLEGATIONS THAT HE AND THREE ASSOCIATES RIPPED OFF DONORS TRYING TO FUND A SOUTHERN BORDER WALL, MAKING HIM THE LATEST IN A LONG LIST OF TRUMP ALLIES TO BE CHARGED WITH A CRIME.
The organizers of the “WE BUILD THE WALL” group portrayed themselves as eager to help the president build a “big beautiful” barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border, as he promised during the 2016 campaign.
THEY RAISED MORE THAN $25 MILLION FROM THOUSANDS OF DONORS AND PLEDGED THAT 100% OF THE MONEY WOULD BE USED FOR THE PROJECT.
BUT ACCORDING TO THE CRIMINAL CHARGES, MUCH OF THE MONEY NEVER MADE IT TO THE WALL. INSTEAD, IT WAS USED TO LINE THE POCKETS OF GROUP MEMBERS, INCLUDING BANNON, who served in Trump’s White House and worked for his campaign.
Bannon allegedly took over $1 million, using some to secretly pay co-defendant Brian Kolfage, the founder of the project, and to cover hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal expenses.
Bannon, who served in the Navy and worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs and as a Hollywood producer before turning to politics, now hosts a pro-Trump podcast called “WAR ROOM”, which began during the president’s impeachment proceedings and has continued during the pandemic.
A day before the indictment was unsealed, Kolfage was a featured guest on the show and solicited donations.
HOURS AFTER HIS ARREST, BANNON PLEADED NOT GUILTY DURING AN APPEARANCE IN A MANHATTAN FEDERAL COURT.
BANNON IS THE LATEST ADDITION TO A STARTLINGLY LONG LIST OF TRUMP ASSOCIATES WHO HAVE BEEN PROSECUTED, including his former campaign chair, Paul Manafort, whom Bannon replaced, his long-time lawyer, Michael Cohen, and his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn.
Trump has also made clear that he is willing to use his near-limitless pardon power to help political allies escape legal jeopardy, most recently commuting the sentence of long-time political adviser Roger Stone.
Bannon was taken into custody around 7 a.m. by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service on a 150-foot (45-meter) luxury yacht called Lady May, which was off the coast of Connecticut, authorities said. The boat is owned by exiled Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui and currently for sale for nearly $28 million.
At his hearing, Bannon appeared by video with his hands cuffed in front of him and a white mask covering most of his face. He rocked back and forth on a chair in a holding cell with his lawyers on the telephone. THE MAGISTRATE JUDGE APPROVED BANNON’S RELEASE ON $5 MILLION BAIL, SECURED BY $1.75 MILLION IN ASSETS.
When he emerged from the courthouse, Bannon tore off his mask, smiled and waved to news cameras. As he went to a waiting vehicle, he shouted, “This entire fiasco is to stop people who want to build the wall.”
Neither Bannon, nor his spokesperson or attorney responded to requests for comment. Kolfage did not respond either. Also charged were Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea, the owner of an energy drink company called Winning Energy. The company’s cans feature a cartoon superhero image of Trump and claim to contain “12 oz. of liberal tears.” Shea appeared at a brief virtual hearing in Denver.
AFTER THE ARREST, TRUMP QUICKLY DISTANCED HIMSELF FROM BANNON AND THE PROJECT.
“When I read about it, I didn’t like it. I said this is for government, this isn’t for private people. And it sounded to me like showboating,” he told reporters at the White House, adding that he felt “very badly” about the situation.
An immigration plan unveiled by Trump last year included a proposal to allow the public to donate toward his long-promised wall, as the Kolfage group had originally said was its mission before shifting its focus to private construction. But Trump later denounced the project publicly, tweeting last month that he “disagreed with doing this very small (tiny) section of wall, in a tricky area, by a private group which raised money by ads” and claiming, “It was only done to make me look bad.”
Attorney General William Barr told The Associated Press he had been made aware of the investigation into Bannon months ago but did not say whether the president had been informed.
According to the indictment, the defendants used fake invoices, another non-profit and sham vendor arrangements to try to hide their efforts to siphon money. Under the arrangement, Bannon and his co-defendants allegedly paid Kolfage $100,000 up front and an additional $20,000 monthly, all while claiming they served as volunteers and that Kolfage was not paid.
Kolfage eventually spent some of the over $350,000 he received on home renovations, payments toward a boat, a luxury SUV, a golf cart, jewelry, cosmetic surgery, personal tax payments and credit card debt.
Originally called “We the People Build the Wall,” the campaign launched in December 2018 and raised approximately $17 million in its first week. But it soon drew scrutiny, according to the indictment. The crowdfunding site that hosted the campaign suspended it and threatened to return donations unless the money was transferred to a legitimate non-profit. Bannon was brought in around that time.
Long and Colvin reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz in New York; Nomaan Merchant in Northbrook, Illinois; Cedar Attanasio in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; Mike Balsamo in Cleveland; Nicole Winfield in Rome and Michael Biesecker in Washington contributed to this report.