(Washington) half -filled stands. Soldiers unable to walk. A silent crowd and distracted at times.
It was perhaps better on television, especially on Fox News, where any reserve was prohibited concerning this military parade whose official goal was to celebrate 250e Birthday of the American army and which coincided with the 79e Donald Trump’s birthday.
“Can you imagine being one of the people who complained (parade) earlier in the day?” Can you imagine what she will have to do as a honorable fine? There is not a single soldier in this parade that is not radiant, “said Joey Jones, one of the commentators of the Rupert Murdoch chain.
Photo Annabelle Gordon, Agence France-Presse Archives
American soldiers during the parade celebrating 250e Birthday of the American army, in Washington, Saturday
No offense to Joey Jones and the other speaking heads of Fox News, it was less impressive on site. It was even a little boring, if it is necessary to trust the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, surprised to yawn among the dignitaries gathered around the president in the tribune of honor.
In fact, the military parade on Saturday must be among the actions and reactions which contributed to put sand in the authoritarian gear of Donald Trump last week. This parade played a key role in the greatest mobilization of opponents of the 45e President or 47e president. More than 5 million people participated in the demonstrations organized in more than 2,000 cities in the United States under the banner “no kings”.
No official demonstration had been organized in Washington, but Pat Shannon, veteran of the US Navy, was held not far from the White House with a poster treating Donald Trump with all names, including “liar” and “criminal”.
Photo Richard Hétu, special collaboration
Pat Shannon, veteran of the US Navy, during an anti-Trump demonstration on Saturday, in Washington
I decided to come here when he said that he would use strength against the demonstrators who would present himself on the occasion of his parade.
Pat Shannon, veteran of the US Navy
“I want to see his Gestapo agents,” added the septuagenarian domiciled in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Revealing surveys
The mobilization of anti-Trump opponents intervened at the end of a week when many surveys added sand in the authoritarian gear of the president and his collaborators, including Stephen Miller, architect of his migration policy, and Kristi Noem, secretary of internal security, who is the executor.
Photo Ringo Chiu, Agence France-Presse Archives
Protesters brandish their sign during the anti-Trump demonstration “No Kings” (no kings) in Los Angeles on Saturday.
“The Trump administration is in a negative zone in 11 of the 12 survey questions related to immigration, expulsions and Los Angeles demonstrations this week,” the data specialist Elliott Morris wrote in his newsletter last Friday after analyzing all surveys.
“The only survey to give positive results for administration is a Yougov/Economist survey asking if people are generally approving Trump” manages the question of immigration “. At +4, this represents a decrease of 3 points compared to +7 in the Yougov survey of last week. »»
Another event could weigh on upcoming polls: the decision of a California judge rendered last Thursday evening and declaring illegal the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles by Donald Trump.
The United States Court of Appeal for the 9the circuit suspended this decision while it examines the case.
In the meantime, at least four Republican elected officials, who have in common to be Latinos, expressed themselves last week against these expulsions which are increasingly affecting migrants in an irregular situation who have lived and work in the United States for a long time, who pay taxes there and raise American children.
“We all have to focus on condemned criminal illegals,” said the Republican representative of Texas Tony Gonzales on CNN. “If we focus on this point and we do not attack the migrant which lines the cows with a temperature of 40 degrees, but to the condemned criminal, I think we are on the right track. I think there is a large consensus on this point. »»
An extraordinary flip-flop
While elected representatives of Hispanic were thus expressed in public, representatives of various industries, including agriculture, exercised pressures to the Trump administration in private to protect the illegal migrants they use. For fear of being arrested, some of them have ceased to go to work, threatening the economic survival of their employers.
These pressures led Donald Trump to publish on Truth Social last Wednesday a message that represented an extraordinary flip-flop.
“Our great farmers and people working in the hotel and leisure sector have declared that our very aggressive immigration policy removed very good long -standing workers, and that these jobs were practically impossible to replace,” wrote the president on his platform, while deploring that “criminals authorized to enter our country by the very stupid Borders of Biden” vacant.
“It’s not good. We have to protect our farmers, but get criminals out of the United States. Changes are coming! “, He added.
The next day, a senior Immigration Police leader (ICE) sent an email to regional officials of the agency informing them of new guidelines. According to the New York Timesagents must now “suspend all the surveys/operations for applying the law on workplaces concerning agriculture (including aquaculture and meat packaging factories), restaurants and hotel in activity”.
We will see if the new guidelines, which would have surprised several advisers of the president, including Stephen Miller, will be applied everywhere, and not only in the states and red cities. But they add other grains in the authoritarian gear of Donald Trump, if only demonstrating to what extent the ICE offensive in Los Angeles was arbitrary and partisan.
