Political Theater to Promote Oligarchy

Is Promoting Oligarchy the Real Goal? 

What if promoting oligarchy is Trump's real goal, and his other policies are just political theater that he uses to build and maintain his power? I have said in past posts that Trump’s populism is fake and that his real goal is promoting an oligarchy in order to reduce taxes and reduce regulation of business. He works primarily to strengthen the control of our country by the rich. 

However, Trump does many things that do not appear to have any relation to his desire to build an oligarchy. What is the point of those actions? Perhaps, they are theatrical performances designed to keep his MAGA voters happy and to justify limiting freedom of speech and of the press.  

Keeping the MAGA voters happy is important to Mr. Trump because his power depends on them, but he does not want to do anything of real substance for them that might damage the interests of his oligarchic supporters. He solves this problem by doing dramatic things that the MAGA folks love, and he thereby strengthens his hold on power. Thus, the actions that appear to be unrelated to the promotion of oligarchy are in fact important parts of the drive toward it.

A Performative Effort to Deport Immigrants

Consider for example his program of arresting and deporting undocumented immigrants. In another post on this blog, I showed that the methods he is using will not allow him to deport more than a small fraction of our undocumented immigrants, and I warned that we should expect him to resort to methods that are more violent and oppressive. 

But what if the point is not really to deport the immigrants at all but instead only to give the impression that he is deporting them and to promote protests that will justify the use of troops on American streets? Millions of MAGA voters voted for Trump because he promised to rid the country of undocumented immigrants. To maintain the loyalty of those voters, he must have a deportation program. On the other hand, some of the profits earned by his oligarchic supporters depend on the labor of undocumented immigrants. How can he please both groups in his coalition? 

He can do so by having a theatrical but limited program of deportation. He appears to be very tough on immigrants, but he actually deports only a small fraction of them. Thus, he keeps both his MAGA supporters and his oligarchic supporters happy. 

In addition, his theatrical use of masked thugs outrages his opponents and promotes resistance that justifies the restriction of freedom of speech along with use of military forces in places like Chicago or Los Angeles. Thus, the oligarchy is strengthened while relatively few immigrants are deported. All of Trump's supporters are pleased, and the oligarchy is strengthened.

We saw a great example of a performative raid recently in New York. According to the New York Times, 

More than 50 federal agents fanned out in the heart of Lower Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon, brushing past confused tourists and pedestrians to detain several men near Canal Street and quickly drawing dozens of protesters to the streets.

The article went on to say, 

The operation appeared to lead to at least four detentions, according to witnesses, with the sight of dozens of masked agents descending on the edge of TriBeCa making for a visible display of force by the Trump administration in the streets of Manhattan.

Yes, it took 50 agents to arrest four people! This does not look like a part of a real attempt to deport our millions of undocumented immigrants. It looks more like a public display of force designed to make our president look tough in order to please his MAGA voters.

Sinking Boats in the Caribbean

Consider also his recent program of sinking Venezuelan boats in the Caribbean Sea. He says that the reason he is doing it is to combat what he calls narco-terrorists and to stop the flow into our country of the drugs that are killing Americans. However, that explanation does not really make sense. The drugs that are killing Americans are mainly methamphetamines that do not come from Venezuela. They are manufactured in Mexico, which means that his actions cannot achieve what he says he wants to achieve.

On the other hand, if his real goal is to give the impression of fighting the drug trade, to please the MAGA folks and to provide a smoke screen for his oligarchic program, his theatrical and flamboyant actions in the Caribbean make sense. They strengthen his contention that we are in a state of national emergency that justifies his use of troops on American streets as well as his limiting freedom of speech.

Peace-Making as Theater

Then there is the cease fire that he managed to arrange in Gaza. He and his supporters claim that he has brought peace to the Middle East, but anyone who knows a little of the history of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians can see that is nonsense.  At best, he has brought about a brief pause in the conflict. However, his action in the Middle East works well as political theater. His MAGA supporters are thrilled, and members of the oligarchy may get opportunities to make profitable real estate investments in Gaza. Thus, Trump's drive toward oligarchy is strengthened.

Theater as a Political Tool

Mr. Trump is a master of the use of theater as a political tool. It has allowed him to hold together his fragile coalition of the business Republicans and the MAGA Republicans. He has also used theater very effectively to trap American liberals into protesting against his theatrical presentations instead of protesting against his efforts to help the rich and entrench an oligarchy. Fortunately, the current budget fight gives liberals a chance to focus their efforts on preserving affordable healthcare, which is something that really matters to millions of American voters. Let's keep our eyes on the ball.