“You have to dominate. If you don’t dominate, you’re wasting your time.”
That was the message from President Donald Trump to the nation’s governors on Monday during a conference call largely filled with him berating them about a weekend of protests and riots that, in his eyes, made our nation look weak.
His solution to the problem, to the centuries of systemic racism upon which this nation was built combined with a pandemic and record unemployment and forced isolation, is toughness. Tracking and arresting and jailing people who have been pushed to the edge. Tear gassing peaceful protesters for a photo op.
Some have called his comments unhinged. But others see it as a sign of strength. The differing perceptions highlight a divide in America.