The Germans are Worried About L.A.
Donald Trump is escalating his attacks on Democracy, using the military against his citizens. In the country that once fell to fascism, warnings are growing.
You have probably heard about the situation in LA. If not, you can read about it here.
At the moment, Trump is using the images of sporadic violence that he stirred up with his escalation to deploy even more troops, including US Marines, and he doesn’t seem to be done. Some of his statements suggest that he wants troops deployed in all cities where protests are occurring. Next Saturday, that will be every major city in the U.S.
So when I watched some snippets of the German political talk show “Markus Lanz” yesterday, something interesting occurred to me.
Germans know when Democracy is under attack
All guests, ranging from political journalists to a former leader of the SPD, agreed that Trump’s troop deployment is a political move that’s both dangerous and unprovoked. That is nothing new for Democrats. The warnings of these men, however, went a bit further.
Sending the military into your cities to quench largely peaceful protests is a dangerous sign. It shows that Trump sees the military as a tool to silence any protests against him. Daniel Friedrich Sturm (journalist) expressed his worries about what this could mean for the 2026 midterms. What if Trump stokes unrest ahead of the election and “sends troops into Democratic cities” to suppress the vote? Then, America’s Democracy would stand at the edge.
The discussion between the guests revealed that Germans discuss Trump differently than Americans, including Democrats. In the US, Trump’s actions are met with outrage, warnings, strongly worded letters, and countless TV interviews, but that’s about it. Many of Trump’s statements, like “a dictator on day one”, are seen by too many as something that one should not take at face value. It’s just Trump. He’s not that serious. When some politicians and activists do take Trump’s statements for what they mean and warn that he will dismantle Democracy and its fair elections, they get dismissed. After all, there are the courts, congress, and the next election to stop him.
Germans see this differently. We know, from our history, that Democracy is an incredibly fragile structure that can be easily torn down if the wrong people get into a position of power. In the US, there is someone in power who has no respect for democratic institutions like elections and courts. Yet, American journalists and politicians continue to downplay the direness of the situation. Trump is using the military against his citizens, and Democrats are doing nothing. They are not silent. They are outraged, but they don't take action. What should they do? Journalist Ulf Röller, another guest on yesterday’s show, was asking that same question.
“Where is the great march to Los Angeles, led by Barack Obama, with hundreds of thousands of Democrats saying enough is enough?”
He drew parallels to Martin Luther King Jr.’s protest march to Washington at the height of segregation tensions, and he is right. While there are massive “no Kings”-protests planned for next Saturday, the day of Trump’s military parade, Democrats are missing their leaders.
I would argue against most journalists in the US who claim that the Democrats lack any leader because Mr. Röller is right. Barack Obama would be a perfect leader for this moment. Popular, charismatic, and without much baggage. Yes, he can never run again and has no political interests, but does that matter? This showdown between Trump’s authoritarianism and Democracy that is starting to develop is not a prelude to the 2028 presidential election. There is no need for Democrats to position themselves for the next presidential elections. They have to take action now before it’s too late. We Germans know that there can be a point where it is too late to stop the dictator.
I understand that Immigration is Trump’s most popular policy (a majority of Americans want mass deportations). But if Democrats only start to fight back and take drastic action once Trump is more unpopular (as Chuck Schumer suggested), it may be too late. If you only stop the wannabe dictator after all of the country gets behind you, it may be too late.