The speed with which US democracy is being dismantled is dizzying, but if we organise resistance now we can stop this
Everything is moving too fast. The Trump-Musk administration is tearing through US government, universities and health organisations, firing tens of thousands of employees, eliminating billons in funding. The scope and speed of the attack is dizzying. It is almost impossible to keep up with the ongoing destruction, let alone to organise the resistance. None of this is accidental.
We need to understand the origins of the Trump blitzkrieg to counter it in the US and prevent it from spreading abroad. The speed of the attack can be traced to Trump strategist and “accelerationist” Steve Bannon, and aligns with his information warfare tactic to “flood the zone” to confuse, disengage and disorient. Whether on climate or Covid, rumours, lies and conspiracy theories create a chaotic cacophony, leaving the public disoriented, fearful and prey to oversimple Trumpist messages: blame the woke, migrants, transgender people, Muslims, doctors, scientists. Musk’s purchase of Twitter/X supports Bannon’s agenda.
Julia Steinberger is professor of societal challenges of climate change at the University of Lausanne
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