NPR

Trump Wants Show Of Force To Cure National Crisis

Even in calmer times, Trump has spoken of having military parades in Washington, such as on his Inauguration Day or the Fourth of July, in the style of those held by the French on the Champs d'Elysee.
General Douglas MacArthur delivers a proclamation to the people of the Philippines in 1944.

What will official Washington do in the wake of the protests and destructive violence that scarred city after city in recent days, including the capital itself?

Unrest does not stop on command. If there is a pause in the mayhem, it does not mean that the rage has been spent or the wounds have healed.

Any effort to restore confidence in each other will be complicated by the nation's preexisting conditions of pandemic and recession — not to mention the persistent condition of racism in American life and law enforcement. Fires flare up again if not extinguished at the source.

In the days ahead, the nation will need a way forward and a new sense of resolve. It will need people to show the way and provide that resolve.

In short, people will need leadership.

President Trump this week offered one model of leadership, quickly embraced by many and the .

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR4 min readAmerican Government
Gaza Protestors Picket White House Correspondents Dinner, As Biden Ribs Trump
The war in Gaza spurred large protests outside a glitzy roast with President Joe Biden, journalists, politicians and celebrities Saturday but went all but unmentioned by participants inside.
NPR2 min readWorld
Hamas Releases Video Of A Second American Being Held Hostage In Gaza
Hamas has released a video showing two captives, one of them an American, as part of an effort to prove that the two men are still alive. It was the second video of a U.S. citizen released this week.
NPR3 min readAmerican Government
Trump's Immunity Arguments And The Experiences Of The Justices Who Might Support It
Five of the six conservatives spent much of their lives in the Beltway, working in the White House and Justice Department, seeing their administrations as targets of unfair harassment by Democrats.

Related Books & Audiobooks