Megalomania disguised as patriotism: Trump treats himself to a military parade

WashingtonHundreds of soldiers, tanks, and the sound of planes flying at full speed above Washington in an unprecedented display of muscle in the US capital under the guise of the 250th anniversary of the military. Trump wants to disguise his megalomania as patriotism. For critics, the coincidence of the celebration with his birthday is a clear symptom of authoritarianism reminiscent of a cult of personality. Trump, who is obsessed with crowds, will try to achieve the mass appeal he lacked during his inauguration. The victorious return the president envisioned was thwarted by the low January temperatures and had to be held behind closed doors inside the Capitol. The security barriers of 2017 that made the president's wishes impossible are no longer there. The martial power that is more normally associated with authoritarian regimes, such as North Korea. The last time Washington experienced a similar event was in 1991, when George Bush held a military march to celebrate the victory in the First Gulf War. the aggressive raids on the migrant community and the militarization of Los Angeles by express order of Trump. The 4,000 National Guards and the 700 marinas In the Californian city, they are once again another megalomaniacal expression of the Republican's second term. "The president, of course, is subject to the limits of his authority. That's the difference between a constitutional government and King George. It's not a matter of a leader saying something and it automatically becoming reality," read the judge's provisional ruling on Thursday, aligning with California Governor Gavin Newsom and calling the order illegal. Shortly after, the order was overturned by a blockade by the appeals court.

The slogan under which Saturday's demonstrations in fifty states had been called was "No Kings Day." The White House denies this label—and others like it—although Trump acts and speaks like a king. His nearly five months in office have been nothing more than a succession of banging on the table to emphasize that there is "a new sheriff" in Washington, as Vice President JD Vance told Munich. The campaign promise to pursue undocumented people—those without a voice or vote—has spread to all sectors of society: Trump has questioned the authority of the courts and has arrested a judge; purged the civil service; cornered major law firms with executive orders to prevent them from agreeing to defend cases against his agenda; and has tried to suffocate those universities that it considers rebels for not aligning with its ideology, such as Harvard.

In the last week, the administration has made it clear who's in charge with the militarization of Los Angeles and with the handcuffing of a Democratic senatorCalifornia Congressman Alex Padilla was subdued and handcuffed by police officers on Thursday after attempting to ask Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a question about migrant raids. Once again, Trump's United States demonstrates how what once seemed impossible is now plausible. The senator's video has spread online along with dozens of other images of immigration agents, their faces completely covered, unleashing terror wherever they carry out raids. Fear has become another common element, not only for undocumented immigrants, but also for researchers and students with legal status in the country or civil servants who still hold their jobs.

The language, already steeped in rage and resentment in the November election campaign against Kamala Harris, has only taken on a martial aura as the date of the military parade approached. During the event held at Fort Bragg on Tuesday to kick off the 250th anniversary of the military, Trump promised to "free Los Angeles from lawlessness" and accused Newsom of funding "insurrectionists." Shortly afterward, the Republican magnate also warned that any protests during the military parade would be met "with force." Precisely to avoid giving the president more reasons to militarize Washington as he has done with Los Angeles, the Kings' Day organizers have decided to make the capital the only gap on the parade map.