'Cruelty and criminality': Experts say Trump 'incapable of grasping how despised he is'

27 June

U.S. President Donald Trump walks on the day of a "One Big Beautiful" event at the White House in Washington, DC., U.S., June 26, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

Almost two weeks have passed since millions of Americans voiced their disdain for Donald Trump's second presidency by holding No Kings protests and marches on the same day of Trump's military/birthday parade in Washington, DC. More than 2,000 No Kings protests were held in cities around the United States on Saturday, June 14, and an event in Philadelphia drew, according to estimates, around 80,000 people — although Axios reported that the Philly crowd surpassed 100,000.

Salon's Chauncey DeVega believes that although the No Kings events were a good start, the anti-Trump resistance still has a lot of work to do if the U.S. is going to avoid becoming a "fascist" state. And he makes his point via interviews with four political voices featured in an article published on June 27: journalist Steven Beschloss, ex-Republican Cheri Jacobus, the Sojourners' Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, and The Greater Good's Eric Schnurer.

Beschloss told DeVega, "The hopeful energy in large cities and small towns was palpable and contagious — and I suspect this was 'muscle-building' for many Americans who've never participated in such an event or haven't in a long time. That said, my sober expectation is that it will take more than double the 5 million Americans estimated by organizers attending 'No Kings' protests to begin to create an impact that can drive change. And it must be sustained with a clear message and goal, not just an occasional event."

Beschloss continued, "We know that Trump is narcissistically incapable of grasping how despised he is in America, especially since he's surrounded by sycophants who refuse to tell him the truth like (Homeland Security Secretary) Kristi Noem and (White House adviser) Stephen Miller, who are determined to prove that the harsher the cruelty and criminality, the greater the success. But mass protest can succeed at proving the fallaciousness of this proposition — that Americans will not bow down, be silenced or broken by this malignant regime that despises democracy."

Taylor, president of Sojourners — a progressive Christian group — fears that political violence in the U.S. could get worse before it gets better.

The Protestant minister/activist told DeVega, "I'm growing increasingly alarmed by the Trump Administration's escalating attacks on democracy, particularly the unnecessary and inflammatory deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles to bolster immoral and aggressive mass raids by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). I'm also deeply concerned about the Administration's escalated attack on Harvard University and constant peddling in lies, propaganda and disinformation, such as in the shameful meeting between President Trump and President Ramaphosa of South Africa, in which President Trump falsely alleged that white Afrikaners were victims of land grabbing and even of genocide."

Rev. Taylor continued, "I'm concerned that the Trump Administration will seek to conduct mass ICE raids in other major U.S. cities in order to spark further protests and confrontation. These efforts may also be used as the pretext to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would be an egregious and dangerous misuse of the (law) and of executive authority."

Podcast host Jacobus, once a Republican, noted that the crowd at Trump's military/birthday parade was "paltry" compared to the "historic" No Kings Day protests. But like Taylor, she fears that the ongoing threat of political violence.

Jacobus told DeVega, "Like most thinking Americans, I have been in a state of shock and rage over (Trump's) inciting violence, abuse of power, blatant apparent criminality and betrayal of the country. It's not unexpected, but (it) still elicits a visceral response, as this has never happened in America. I am furious with the media and power players who allowed this to happen, especially former Attorney General Merrick Garland and his cheerleaders who bullied us into submission."

Jacobus added, "But something is happening out there across this country — finally! 'Regular' everyday Americans who've never been activists or even let others know their politics are literally taking to the streets."

Another interviewee, Eric Schnurer — who writes a newsletter for The Greater Good — told DeVega, "Donald Trump can't succeed at building a strong, lasting authoritarian state because he's more focused on tearing down the institutions of government, enriching himself and his allies, and punishing his enemies. These policies are so destructive that his regime will eventually collapse under the weight of its own dysfunction."

Chauncey DeVega's full article for Salon is available at this link.

From Your Site Articles