Protests in Los Angeles on 8 June. Photo: Taurat Hossain / AFP
What we feared the most has become a reality.
Australian journalist Lauren Tomasi was broadcasting live when she was hit by a rubber bullet, and the footage went viral. She became the second journalist to be injured during the mass protests in Los Angeles that erupted after a new wave of immigration raids. For the first time in the world, everyone can see live what is really happening in America – without filters and embellishments. The Guardian writes about it.
This is exactly what was predicted in 2016 when Donald Trump came to power: forced deportations in democratic states, protest outbreaks, deployments of the National Guard, and as a result, a dangerous escalation between federal and regional authorities. California Governor Gavin Newsom directly accuses Trump of artificially creating a crisis for political dividends.
The show is back on the air – and Trump is once again its director.
He has skilfully shifted public attention from the high-profile conflict with Elon Musk to a new drama – violence on the streets. Behind the scenes, however, something no less telling is happening: Musk deletes his posts about the president’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein and retweets Trump’s messages. His father explains it all as “fatigue” after five months of working with the White House.
This is no longer just a political show – it is a demonstration of how populism, once in power, leaves no room for checks and balances. Even billionaires bend under the power of the executive branch.
And Europe should think about it.
The scandals in the British party Reform UK are just an echo of the same trend. The party teeters between official policy and extreme right-wing sentiment. Its leaders get tired, disappear and reappear, which only underscores the lack of consistency. But if populism takes root here, the result could be just as devastating as in the US.
Populism is chaos, not order.
Five months into the US “reforms”, they are already proving to be a fiasco. The national debt is rising, the streets are full of protests, and even the wealthy of Silicon Valley admit that they have no control over what they have stirred up.
