Trump Hasn’t Made America Great, He’s Made It More Violent

With the administration of President Donald Trump raining missiles down on a Syrian air base this week, at home domestic unrest is worsening, and increasingly turning violent.

Trump has promised to “Make America Great Again,” but it has been clear since the campaign trail last year, where he encouraged violence at his rallies, that he has little concern for public safety and stability. Since taking office, he has failed to demonstrate leadership on a single issue, instead exuding erratic behavior that has led to deepening crisis.

On Saturday, a protest at the White House by white nationalist leader Richard Spencer turned violent as members of the anti-fascist group AntiFa squared off with Spencer and his “alt-right” bigot boys, who were in Lafayette Square to bizarrely protest Trump’s bombing of Syria. At least two people reportedly were arrested.

Various scuffles broke out between the two groups as police worked to prevent an all–out brawl. The near–melee spread to outlying streets as Spencer tried to hail a cab to leave the area.

A video captured the tense situation that could have easily spiraled out of control:

Two weeks ago, a “Make America Great Again” rally in Huntington Beach, CA, turned violent after a Trump protester pepper sprayed a pro-Trump rally organizer, sparking a brawl, with both groups kicking and punching each other, and one man hitting a counter-protester over the head with a flag, The Los Angeles Times reported. The symbolism of a Trump supporter using the U.S. flag as a weapon couldn’t be more…striking.

And in Wisconsin, authorities are pleading with the public for information on the location of 32-year-old Joseph Jakubowski, who filmed himself mailing an anti-government “manifesto” to Trump promising an act of mass violence that would include targeting schools and churches, according to ABC News.

“You’ll never forget this face,” Jakubowski warns on the video.

Jakubowski then reportedly broke into a Wisconsin gun shop and stole 16 weapons, before setting his car on fire and disappearing. The FBI has offered a $10,000 reward for information on his whereabouts, adding that he is likely armed and dangerous.

In any other administration, these events might be considered isolated issues. But under the Trump presidency, they’re clearly linked as we all barrel down a slippery national slope, where our society’s fringe elements feel emboldened by a president who does nothing to stop them.