I’ve Seen This All Before: The Soviet Sphere and Its Similarities to MAGA

It commenced with tanks, waving soldiers, and passionate protests as Trump sat rather glumly, watching his military parade thrown conveniently in tandem with his 79^th birthday. I’m sure within the MAGA echo chamber it is an excruciating existence to never know where you reside within such a rabid movement. The confusion is palpable, and that’s notably why I thought of the Soviet Union when consuming the birthday parade news. Ironically, I had been travelling in the former USSR weeks before the event and could only shake my head at something as laughable as Trump’s ego trip on the taxpayer’s dime. A close confidant of Trump, Vladimir Putin, has also showcased his country’s military capabilities to demonstrate his power to the world. With missiles, rigid soldiers marching, and a highly militaristic speech delivered by Putin himself, it should not come as a surprise that Trump has followed suit in hopes of solidifying his orange image. The Soviet Union, as most should understand, was an authoritarian state that undermined any form of democratic elements that would mar the treasured image of the party in Moscow.

Lydia Chukovskaya is, in my opinion, the most accurate chronicler of the Great Purge in the Soviet Union leading up to the Second World War. I mention this brave woman because of her adamance to produce a work with such terrifying details as her son’s disappearance and the anxiety caused by party visits to her place of work. These kinds of activities are horrifying glimpses into a past that seems to be gleefully lionised by Putin, and the new norm for Trump in his efforts to break down all the checks and balances that irk him. Masked and armed, ICE has separated families, detained students mid-degree and most recently, forcibly removed the Comptroller of New York City without a judicial warrant.  A blatant disregard for human rights, in the opinion of this writer, while trying to chaperone a man to immigration court, Brad Lander was handcuffed and detained by ICE without showing a judicial warrant for the arrest of the aforementioned gentleman. In poring over the pages of Chukovskaya or even the notes of Slavenka Drakulic, the similarities are all too apparent in Trump’s delusion, which has resulted in gross and irreversibly corrosive abuses of executive power.

In a staunch contrast, the “No Kings” protests that took the country by storm in the past week were a massive success for activists trying to strengthen public awareness of Trump’s constant abuses and abysmal attempts to destroy hope. Rather than laying the sole focus of the celebration for the anniversary of armed forces, Trump grossly squandered millions on this event for nothing more than his monstrous ego and to intimidate his enemies. According to one news source, the parade supposedly cost between 25 to 45 million dollars to organise, and this does not include cleanup costs. In the proud tradition of Soviet military gluttony, the United States has been drawn into the unnecessary use of our nation's armed forces for the appeasement of Trump and his horrifically unqualified cabinet. As if the cuts to Medicaid and veteran benefits weren’t enough, this demagogue can’t even be bothered to give back to those he used as props of his glory. 

The administration has gone through a series of backtracks, whether over tariff policy or billionaire political allies; the Trump cabinet has shown, in multiple cases, a disregard for checks and balances. The branch seems to be completely indifferent to their usage of ICE; masked groups that refuse to identify themselves have detained people on their way to court, and even members of the United States Government have been arrested for speaking out. In what stable democracy does one consciously accept this kind of behaviour from the executive branch and not see this as a real threat to the integrity of the federal government? Like the incredibly paranoid party members of the Politburo in the Soviet Union, so too is Trump’s following in Congress devolving, take Ted Cruz falling to pieces under questioning from Tucker Carlson. His shallow understanding of the executive branch's motives was a troubling reminder of the inadequacy of the Trump Administration. A president, hellbent on self-image and an admirer of dictators, has single-handedly taken this country by the reins, directly into another war in the Middle East, without allowing for any congressional debate. 

The vanity and delusion that have gone unchecked in this presidency display disappointing ignorance of the immense repercussions that will follow this continued abuse of the Constitution. The promises of dictators who’ve enriched themselves and their friends at the expense of the people began to face expulsion with the rise of democratic states. As we refuse kings, we also refuse the belligerent idiocy that the Trump administration has sown over the past six months. This is a militaristic, authoritarian, corporate government that has no intention of serving  the common person. The polarisation of the United States has been so intensely catalysed by the MAGA movement and its ability to fuel hatred and increase division. Until the propaganda of the Trump administration is held accountable for its failures and abuse of our democracy, the country will continue to spiral into further disarray. 

Illustartion by Will Allen/Europinion