His supporters took up an insurrection when he was defeated in the US elections, on the symbol and beacon of democracy in the world, The Capitol Hill. He ignited the rage of his supporters and after a few hours withdrew it, calling them to go home. Many analysts attributed it to be a “show of strength” at that time.
He also questioned his own intelligence community on many fronts, including allegations of Russia’s meddling in the US elections, and did not side with them, rather sided with Vladimir Putin and supported him, declaring Russia had no involvement in the US elections.
In some of his latest interviews he has supported Russian attack and invasion of Ukraine, praising Russian President Putin’s actions, indicating that the US should consider the same kind of aggression against its southern border neighbour, Mexico.
This ‘freedom convoy’ movement collected around $9 million in donations and more than 55 percent of those contributions came from the US and from the very same people and entities that donated in Trump’s election campaign in 2016.
He once again threw his own supporters for a loop who kept accusing President Biden as a weak president and blamed him for being soft on Russia and that Biden could not make stiff decisions to rebut the Russian narrative about Ukraine. They suggested and emphasized that Trump would be the right choice to deal with Putin, and Russia would be behaving differently if Trump was the US president. With Trump’s support of Putin, his followers faced yet another embarrassment, and had no clue as to how to continue their rhetoric or reverse the course.
Canada has seen unprecedented protests against Covid vaccine mandates, in the name of ‘freedom convoy’ mostly by truckers who transport commercial goods from and to the US through the borders. The movement attracted huge support from Trump supporters in the US as well.
This protest swelled to the cities and on the borders with the US, spanning from Ontario all the way to Alberta and Winnipeg. The capital, Ottawa, was literally brought down to a ‘standstill’ with this blockade and the law enforcement agencies were rendered helpless -- and with Ottawa Police Chief’s resignation their morale went further down until the federal government took another unprecedented action, first time in the history of Canada in 34 years, to invoke the ‘Emergencies Act.’
This ‘freedom convoy’ movement collected around $9 million in donations and more than 55 percent of those contributions came from the US and from the very same people and entities that donated in Trump’s election campaign in 2016.
One gets the idea of this brewing dissent from the far right against democratic ways which would blow up into a full-fledged uncontrollable ‘violent’ movement if not contained timely. This unique phenomenon, where people are pitted against some kind of invisible 'oppression', mainly started in the ‘Trumpian’ era, and is gaining ground since then. It is now spilling into Canada. Recently-concluded ‘Rolling Thunder’ campaign by bikers across the southern border is another grim example of the far-right reality. When asked about the objective of the biker’s movement, called Rolling Thunder, the supporters said, it was to ‘celebrate our freedom’.
The folks who are protesting to get their ‘freedom’ back, one has to say, do not know how it feels when your freedom is curtailed. The fact that they were freely roaming around and disrupting lives of many people not only in the Capital Ottawa but spread out in the entire country is one major proof that everyone is free and that the ‘freedom’ is for all -- even for disrupters.
With the US mid-term elections around the corner (November 2022), predictions are the republicans will take control of both houses, changing the party positions from the current polarized state of 50/50 divisibility between Democrats and Republicans.
Just look around a little farther than this region and one can find how freedom is either missing or allowed with caveats. Curbs on the media and anyone who against the wishes of an authoritarian regime has become a normal way of life across the world.
Another fact is that many right-wing extremists still feel betrayed by Trump because of his speeches after the violence in which he changed his stance and condemned extremism in politics, especially the violence of January 6, which he initially condoned. Nevertheless, one should not forget that despite his loss in the elections of 2020, he did bag more than 70 million.
Trump could incite a large-scale violent campaign at a time of his choosing, which could be triggered along both sides of the US-Canada Border.
With the US mid-term elections around the corner (November 2022), predictions are the republicans will take control of both houses, changing the party positions from the current polarized state of 50/50 divisibility between Democrats and Republicans. If this happens, the remaining two years of the Biden-Harris administration would be ineffective in terms of making and taking any significant decisions both domestically and internationally.
It remains to be seen if Trump will be back in the race to rebuild his old narrative of ‘take-America back’. Some reports suggest that Trump supporters have regrouped and have armed themselves to incite violence in case Trump loses in the next US elections, an armed uprising appears to be in the offing, followed by an insurrection or even a full-scale civil war. Only time will tell.