LThe tumult of the first three years of Donald Trump’s presidency has long obscured the essentials. Elected narrowly in 2016, the former businessman had inherited a healthy economy, a major international coalition to destroy terrorism which was then a priority, and a public opinion resigned to extract from endless wars for which he had no appetite.
The real testing of the President of the United States was delayed until this deadly spring. It has seen a historic health crisis, a spike in unemployment with little precedent and the resurgence of racial demons in America following the death of an African-American, George Floyd, at the hands of the police from Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 25.
Each of these crises has carried and still carries its share of cruel images. They draw to date a "American carnage" to use the expression Donald Trump used when he was sworn in on January 20, 2017 to portray the situation he believed was passed on to him by his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama. The formula had struck minds. Now she’s catching up with him.
A shaken nation
Granted, Donald Trump is not responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic, which continues to claim thousands of lives every week. It is not for nothing in the collapse of the economy following the brutal shutdown of the country due to confinement, and it is not the hierarchical superior of Derek Chauvin, the police officer now prosecuted for manslaughter after the death of George Floyd. But he has done nothing so far to appease a shaken nation.
The very week of the three crises, the president was busy with other things than bringing his country together. He denounced crimes perpetrated by Barack Obama, while his justice minister finds nothing to reproach his predecessor for. Against all evidence, he accused a TV host who displeased him of having murdered a former collaborator. He finally scrapped Twitter, ulcerated that the social network decides to report some of its untruths.
Donald Trump had fanned the flames when the right of his right demonstrated against the containment measures recommended by his own administration. He refrained from paying tribute to the victims of Covid-19 when the 100,000 mark was crossed on Tuesday. Finally, he has alternately turned his head without threats and expressions of understanding towards peaceful demonstrators in the past few hours about the wave of rage that has spread to American cities from Minneapolis. Without ever acknowledging the reality of an American wound, no more than for the mass shootings.
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