As his support drops, Trump will "lash out in dangerous, unimaginable ways"

As his support drops, Trump will "lash out in dangerous, unimaginable ways"
After two weeks of chaos and violence, four experts consider what's next

By Chauncey DeVega
Senior Writer
Published June 19, 2025 6:00AM (EDT)


(Salon) On Saturday, Donald Trump finally got his military parade in Washington, D.C. Ostensibly to honor the U.S. Army on its 250th birthday, the event was, in reality, an authoritarian spectacle where Trump, like a Third World dictator, could play “El Generalissimo” and watch "his" troops celebrate his own 79th birthday and return to power.

But the parade was not the grand pageant he and his MAGA movement desired. Attendance was modest, estimated to be in the thousands. The weather was poor, and the event was described by journalists and other observers who were there as being low-energy — a descriptor Trump himself loves to leverage against his opponents — and boring.

In split-screen images, the "No Kings" marches were playing out across the nation in protest of Trump's attempts to end America’s multiracial democracy and to crush civil society. An estimated 5 million people participated at more than 2,100 locations across the country, making the protests among the largest in American history. They also reflect deeper currents: Public opinion polls and other data increasingly show Trump's approval ratings are sagging.

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To better understand this unprecedented time in American history, I recently spoke to four experts about Trump’s military parade, the "No Kings" protests and what could happen next in the country’s rapidly spiraling democracy crisis.

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Barbara McQuade is a professor at the University of Michigan Law School. She is the author of the book “Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America.” McQuade is also a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, and a co-host of the podcast #SistersInLaw.

..... As for what comes next? I worry that Trump's divisive tactics will further fracture American society, leading to political and vigilante violence. I also worry that by using law enforcement and military personnel to advance his goals, he is tainting their reputations in a way that will be hard to shake, making it difficult for them to recruit and do their jobs. .................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2025/06/19/as-his-support-drops-will-lash-out-in-dangerous-unimaginable-ways/