Trump finds the ultimate distraction in LA

Trump needed to reclaim the narrative, so he found a shiny object right out of Central Casting.

Let’s talk about Los Angeles, the city I’ve lived in for 15 years and which is currently under occupation by US troops and Marines in an escalation that was not only unnecessary, but explicitly intended to inflame tensions in the city.

So why did Trump do this? Because he needed a distraction. It’s a distraction from his feud with Elon, who exposed the reconciliation bill as a farce and then basically called him a pedophile. It’s a distraction from the Republican budget that will strip healthcare away from 13.7 million Americans and cut food assistance by $300 billion and explode the deficit to the tune of trillions of dollars. It’s a distraction from his spate of court losses; Stanford released an analysis showing that the Trump administration has lost an unprecedented 96% of cases. And it’s a distraction from Trump’s fast sinking poll numbers, even on issues on which he and Republicans are historically strong, like immigration and the economy.

Trump desperately needed to gin up some controversy so he settled on an easy target: Los Angeles, a big blue city in a big blue state. He sent ICE in to terrorize not the hardened criminals (as he’d continually promised), but the hard-working immigrants who make this city and this country what it is. The immigrant population in LA is not just a benefit to this city, it’s integral to this city. But that’s apparently of little import to an administration that derives its value by how many lives of brown people it can destroy.

But I want to stress the fact that if even you don’t live in LA, this impacts you. Los Angeles is the test case. Trump is pushing the limits here to see what he can get away with everywhere. He views LA as an obvious target because it’s the liberal bastion of America; it’s an easy scapegoat. For that reason, other cities might not feel they can relate. Other states might not feel they can relate. But I cannot stress enough that, when it comes to Donald Trump, no matter where you live in the United States, you are LA and LA is you. Because if he’s successful here, he will export his tactics to other blue cities in blue states, New York and Chicago. And then blue cities in purple states, like Philly and Milwaukee and Detroit. And then blue cities in red states, like Austin and Miami. And by then, it won’t be much of a surprise when he ultimately moves onto the rest of the country. Donald Trump does not only want to be authoritarian in the eyes of Angelinos. Autocrats aren’t in the business of imposing limits on their own power. He wants to be an autocrat everywhere. And everywhere starts somewhere. LA is where he’s starting, but not where he’ll end. So I understand that if you’re reading from one state away or 49 states away, you might feel insulated. But this impacts you, too, because he won’t stop unless he’s stopped.

Join me in taking to the streets to protest this weekend, Saturday, June 14th at your local No Kings Day protest. Speak out. Call your elected officials. Educate your friends and family. Post, donate, organize, stay engaged. Trump may have consolidated power in DC, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the power we have to usher in change when we’re activated, organized, and awake.