Targeting Trump, the Bullets Instead Killed America’s Touted Racial Equality and Democracy
The shooting of Trump was, of course, an unexpected incident, but it reflects two major issues within the U.S. government. One is the deep-seated racial discrimination against Asians, especially Chinese Americans; the other is the rigidity of its political consultation system, namely the elections, which has led to a division between a minority of political elites and the majority of Americans, a division that has now taken a life-or-death significance.
First of all, why is this shooting a reflection of societal discrimination against Asians in America? The immediate response of the American media outlets explain why. After the shooting occurred, without any definitive statement from police investigations, the New York Post claimed that the shooter had been ” identified as a Chinese man.” Moreover, after the police disclosed the shooter to be a white male, the New York Post took a full hour and a half to correct this misinformation quietly.
This irresponsible report was first discovered by Asian American journalist Jeff Yang, but in the hour and a half when the New York Post pretended nothing had happened, the report not only misled Americans but also deceived Europeans. The Polish media “Visegrád 24,” with over 1 million followers on Twitter(X), hastily cited the New York Post’s report, which had already duped European audiences 1.6 million times.
This incident quickly drew condemnation from Chinese American Republican Congressman Lester Chang and Democratic State Senator Iwen Chu from New York, who criticized it as hate speech against Chinese Americans. However, to date, the New York Post has not issued a formal apology, or a notice to indicate that the news has been reedited.
What we can draw from this is the evident hatred targeted towards Asians in the US.. Clearly, they are stigmatized in American society, making them easy prey for media seeking to fabricate stories. Secondly, Asians are clearly disrespected. Their dignity and cultural status in American society are so unprotected. Asians are so isolated in the society that the American media see them as easy targets for bullying, believing that no consequence will follow after their hate speech.
Imagine how things would have turned out if the New York Post had falsely claimed the shooter to be an African American or from another more influential community. You will see what I mean when I say Asian Americans are considered inconsequential.
Additionally, some other even less professional and irresponsible American media outlets were quick to claim the shooter was a communist, a claim likely made by some McCarthyism-era verteran editors. Their immediate suspicion reveals who they dislike the most.
Secondly, how does this assassination attempt reveal the divide between the American elite and the general public? The answer to this question hides in another question: Who would benefit the most if Trump were actually assassinated?
In American politics today, both the Republican and Democratic parties are dominated by the establishment elites. Before Trump emerged, no matter how fierce the inter-party struggles were, they were nothing more than attempts to maximize the interests of their own groups within this elite circle. However, with Trump entering the scene as a disruptor, he’s harming not just the interests of one party but the entire system that benefits solely the American elite.
For instance, Trump believes that it is not in the interest of the U.S. to get involved in the Ukraine-Russia conflict and should stop providing aid to Zelensky. He argues that while the military-industrial complex profits from selling weapons and waging wars, American workers, consumers, and voters stand to suffer great losses. From the perspective of the military-industrial complex and Wall Street, Trump’s stance severely infringes on their interests.
Over the past few decades, the United States has reaped enormous benefits by instigating wars around the world and even directly invading other countries. However, the enormous military expenditures, and even the sacrifices of lives, are borne by the vast majority of American citizens, while the benefits mostly flow into the pockets of the military-industrial complex and Wall Street. This relentless global warmongering to continuously siphon off public wealth is a key reason why American elites are so keen on maintaining global hegemony.
One of the things Trump aims to do on behalf of his supporters is to relieve them of the heavy burden they bear in maintaining global dominance for arms dealers and Wall Street. His “America First” policy reflects a tendency towards global strategic retrenchment or even isolationism, aiming for the government to abandon a global strategy that has practically failed and become increasingly unrealistic.
In simple terms, he believes that America should first address its own issues before meddling in the affairs of others. However, this demand is unacceptable to a small fraction of the political elite in America. Therefore, they abandoned their most vaunted skill of negotiation in favor of resorting to physical elimination.
In essence, the shot fired at Trump has stripped away the fig leave of decency in American politics. When public opinion aligns with the interests of the military-industrial complex and political elites, election results are considered democratic and sacred. But when the majority’s will obstruct their profit-making, weapons rather than the weapon of criticism are preferred.
Trump’s shooting is essentially an attempt by a minority of American elites to murder the will of the majority of American voters. Although this assassination attempt failed, the intent remains. This marks a transformation of American elections from a periodic political negotiation process into a life-and-death struggle.
