The U.S. can survive without almost anybody - except me

Donald Trump explains what he's all about in one statement

by Brian Karem

I sat in the restaurant awaiting my pho and rolls. On the television screen ahead of me was something I hadn’t seen since the age of Nixon.

For Donald Trump to understand what I saw, just think of a UFC fight; The Man vs. the People.

ICE raids on television with protesters, flash bangs, tear gas and drama. For what it’s worth, I kept hearing Buffalo Springfield in my head.

Suddenly, all I could think was, I got a very bad feeling about this. That saying, of course, originated during the Jimmy Carter era.

The New York Times described the L.A. raid as “military-style force” against protesters. Armored trucks and stun grenades were used against unarmed protesters. It was sad, frightening and completely unnecessary.

David Huerta, President of the Service Employees International Union, (SEIU) California and SEIU-United Service Workers West, apparently got a head injury from and was detained by ICE while observing the raid.

Malcolm Kenyatta, the Deputy Chair of the Democratic National Committee was quick to call out the ICE raid that led to Huerta’s injuries. “What happened to David Huerta is unacceptable. No one should be assaulted for exercising their First Amendment rights. President Huerta has always stood up for working people—now we must stand up for him.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom posted on X: “David Huerta is a respected leader, a patriot, and an advocate for working people. No one should ever be harmed for witnessing government action."

All of this is the handy work of Stephen Miller, who last week yelled at ICE officials that not enough arrests were forthcoming. His shrill yell, like a werewolf with its paws caught in a steel trap, spurred on the force – some who feared they’d lose their jobs if they didn’t produce larger numbers of arrests. According to multiple sources, Miller wants 3,000 migrants arrested each day.

Miller is the dark underbelly of the Trump regime. His hatred of minorities pre-dates his rise to prominence in the Republican party. His ability to manipulate Donald Trump rivals Rasputin’s grasp upon the Czar.

His demand to pursue migrants is also, according to several sources, hampering legitimate criminal investigations that do not have “immigrant components”. It is giving the Democrats a new clarion call as the overt drama inherent in the ICE raids produces unwelcome videotape of Miller’s xenophobia. In his own way, Miller is helping to focus the ire against the Trump regime that the Democrats themselves cannot accomplish.

Miller is not unusual in Trumpland; not appealing in any intellectual or physical sense, not kind and not at all accommodating. He has slithered into the room like a ravenous anaconda and choked the life out of Democracy. He has charmed his snake handler, Trump, and has been dispatched to do his worst.

The results of Miller’s xenophobia have been apparent enough this week on television—as has his serial lying—but Donald Trump hasn’t even addressed it. The closest he came to saying anything about it was to admit Kilmar Abrego Garcia was mistakenly removed to El Salvador – and that he brought him back to make an example of him. “He’s a bad guy,” Trump said as he accused Democrats of defending a criminal in a gaggle on AF1 Friday.

To clarify, no one was defending a criminal. Everyone was defending the universal right of due process – a concept that befuddles Trump. Meanwhile, to punctuate this sentence, it should be remembered that while Garcia is an accused felon, Donald Trump is a convicted felon – and plenty of people still defend him.

We hold these facts to be vetted: All people are created equal. Their rights include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Trump doesn’t think so. In fact, in the same gaggle on AF1 in which he attacked Garcia, he belittled everyone else in the country. “The U.S. can survive without almost anybody – except me,” he said and then chuckled.

At almost that very moment as Trump spoke, Huerta was taken into custody after being beaten. While Trump basked in his own false glory some 33-37,000 feet above ground level, his actions and those of his closest advisers were bringing about real and painful results on innocent bystanders.

“I don’t want to talk about problems,” Trump said during the gaggle. He said it after a question about Elon Musk, but as much as he believes himself indispensable, he also never likes to talk about problems – especially those he creates.

“We have the hottest country in the world. The Hottest country. And six months ago we had the coldest,” Trump claimed without batting an eyelash. I suppose that depends on what your definition of “hot” is.

As Air Force One cruised across the sky and headed to Bedminster, where Trump was scheduled to attend a UFC fight, it all became crystal clear: All is well with Trump world. He isn’t thinking about Elon Musk – though he talked about him a lot – and boy would he be mad if Musk started backing Democrats.

And, of course, Abrego Garcia “is a very bad” man. Maybe not 34-count conviction bad. But bad! Also, importantly, Donald Trump doesn’t care at all about the ICE raids he has unleashed on America in the form of daily “Gestapo” raids, per Congressman and former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Dan Goldman.

Trump is tearing America apart right now. But as far as he’s concerned, it would be Bud Light time, you know, if they weren’t so pro trans with the ads and everything.

My early childhood was filled with nightly news stories of young men coming back in body bags from Vietnam, violent riots and clashes between groups of protesters and police. Both Democrats and Republicans were targeted because of their wooden ears to the will of the people.

Today it is obvious we are more fractured than ever. It appears that while a majority of us used to understand that an injustice to one was an injustice to all, that is not the case today. We aren’t that focused.

The media landscape is littered with partisans, and the tattered remains of corporate media are only focused on making money. But what I saw Friday should be another wakeup call for us all. I am skeptical if it will.

No one deserves to be railroaded. No one deserves to be beaten for merely witnessing an event. No one should be used as a pawn in a political game of xenophobia, hegemony and malfeasance.

Trump’s policies are not only corrupt, but increasingly transparent: pay to play. Lobbyists are lining to get their favorite cases in front of him. He’s pardoned corrupt politicians and campaign contributors.

His parade of pardons is a perversion of justice. His migrant policies are a perversion of humanity. His passionate pleas for clemency for the rich, prosecution of the poor and pleas for following the rule of law are the ultimate joke.

Donald Trump is a convicted felon who only cares about the rule of law when it benefits himself. He is an empty-soul of boundless energy raging against anyone who would speak against him.

Finally, and most importantly, he is a standing subversion of everything we’ve achieved since the Civil Rights movement, post-World War II. Our veterans thought they were fighting for justice, and came home to extend that fight here. Their children continued it. It was rough, it was dangerous and it was a volatile time in our country’s history.

Those of us who were alive then are mourning now. We thought we were past all this. We saw the sacrifice our grandparents, parents and older siblings made in the cause of trying to get this country to live up to its ideals as set forth in the Constitution.

Donald Trump doesn’t care.

He welcomed the Friedrich Merz, Chancellor of Germany into the Oval Office this past week and during the course of the conversation Merz brought up the celebration of D-Day. Trump said, “not a pleasant day for you.”

Merz had to remind the president that the D-Day invasion culminated in the liberation of his country from Nazi Germany – so yeah, it actually was a good day.

Trump didn’t care.

He never has.

He never will.

Trump doesn’t care about the struggle. Doesn’t even care about the results. He is only capable of caring about one thing: himself.

And each day he tells us that, if we would just listen.

Brian Karem is an award-winning reporter, columnist, and author of "Free the Press," and seven others books. He has a popular podcast and Substack, "Just Ask The Question,” as well as a related Substack "Reporter’s Notebook.” You SHOULD subscribe to BOTH

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