On the evening of July 13, a gunman opened fire at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania. The gunman grazed Trump’s ear, leaving him bloodied, with one attendee dead and two others wounded. These individual acts of adventurism have proven throughout history to be a dead-end which can only harm real efforts to gather the movement for the socialist revolution. In the US, many examples exist of failed or successful assassination attempts.
For example, the 1919 bombings by the Galleanisti, JFK assassination by Lee Harvey Oswald, and John Hickley’s shooting of Regan. In each case, the representatives of the bourgeoisie and their state are legitimized in the eyes of the public, its repressive mechanisms are strengthened, and its grip on any form of popular discontent is tightened.
Countless theories circulate that attempt to make sense of the incident. They range from those that claim the shooting was staged or an “inside job”, to those which strengthen the cult of personality of Donald Trump, claiming God kept him from death, raising him to an almost divine individual. The circulating theories serve to drive the workers and people into the camp of one or the other bourgeois factions, each accusing the other of becoming a threat to “democracy” (Democrats) or “America” (MAGA). In fact, the erosion of society, the worsening of the economic situation is a consequence of the decay of capitalism in its imperialist phase helped along by all political factions of the bourgeoisie.
The opponents of Trump (i.e Democrats) use the moment for a call to reject political violence, ignoring that the working class and people face political violence on a daily basis in their so-called democracies, a reality which university students face at the hands of the State for bravely standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people. The capitalist politicians stay silent on the ongoing daily massacre faced by Palestinians, which they support, while now swiftly condemning the shooting on July 13. These individuals overlook the numerous political assassinations and killings that have historically been a tool of US foreign policy, often orchestrated or supported by these same figures who are now attempting to take a moral high-ground.
Both parties consistently rally people under the exhaustive pretexts of “national unity” and “coming together.” The emerging theories and stances, resulting from the shooting, taken by the two major parties and their representatives highlight another element in the struggle between the bourgeois political forces. Thus, it is not surprising that political representatives from the main spheres of capitalist management, both globally and within the US, have condemned the assassination attempt or seized the moment to demonstrate their full support for another Trump presidency. Furthermore, CEOs, bankers, and various other representatives of capital have used this moment to endorse Trump.
Illusion of Democracy and the Culpability of Bourgeois Parties
The rise of far-right forces, similar to trends in other countries, is portrayed by parties, media, and organizations as a disruption of “democracy.” This narrative serves to obscure the significant responsibilities of the Democrats and other bourgeois parties and forces who are fundamentally tied to, and dependent upon, the continuation of capitalist rule that gives birth to these reactionary forces. Under the guise of addressing popular protest and indignation against these policies, which are often labeled as “progressive,” the conditions are created for the far-right forces to gain strength. This is mirrored in the widespread anti-communist, ahistorical campaigns promoted by capital across the country, even down to required courses in public schools, which ultimately rewards the far-right and fascism.
Above all, they attempt to conceal the fact that all bourgeois parties, amidst imperialism and intensifying rivalries between bourgeois classes that lead to imperialist wars, are becoming increasingly reactionary and aggressive toward the people. The so-called “progressive” parties, in this case the Democrats and the social democratic organizations, are not exempt from this phenomenon. This trend is detrimental to the populace on every level—ideological, political, and organizational.
Make America Great Again (MAGA), in which far-right forces and the germs of fascism swim, emerged within the context of reshaping imperialist alliances, measures to extract additional benefits for the bourgeoisie. Its true nature, far from trying to improve the conditions of the vast majority of the people in the US, consists of a political scheme that reflects intensifying competition between different wings of the bourgeoisie. MAGA signals the attempt of capital to place the working-class more actively in-line behind the interests of the bourgeoisie, which, despite the contradictions, directly shows the people that markets, business, battlefields and the imperialist war are the only ways to settle the accounts with their competitors. It is a myth that Trump will bring peace and end the wars of the US. During his first term the Trump administration led the operations in Yemen, Syria, and Somalia while fanning the flames against Pyongyang and in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Trump even expressed a willingness to use military forces against the uprisings which took place following the murder of George Floyd.
The emerging far-right and fascist forces loudly champion so-called “national interests,” uniting both exploiters and the exploited under one banner while scapegoating immigrants and other minorities instead of the exploitative system itself. This agenda did not materialize out of thin air. Currently, a familiar, repetitive, and disorienting debate about the rise of the extreme right is unfolding. In response, opportunists, social democrats, and liberals alike are recycling the failed measures of the past, overlooking the fact that bourgeois domination can also be “democratic.” They overlook the Democratic Party’s responsibility in nurturing these forces through the oppression and repression of people’s and workers’ movements during the Biden and Obama administrations. Their tactics of conceding to the bourgeoisie only leads to the strengthening of reactionary forces.
We are once again confronted with the flawed logic of the “lesser evil,” which harms the people by presenting a false choice between the abhorrent far-right and the so-called “maintenance of democracy.” Both options ultimately serve the interests of capital. This situation underscores a critical issue: the working class and the general populace in the US today lack a political option that truly fights for their interests, honors their struggles, and ensures the continuity and radicalization of their movement. Regardless of how massive and militant workers’ and people’s struggles may be, they will always encounter a political dead end because there is no revolutionary, powerful communist party in the US today to lead the overthrow of this corrupt system and bring an end to its political circus. As a result, the people remain easily ensnared by the extortionate dilemmas of the bourgeoisie, which perpetuate anti-labor policies while crafting new anti-popular mechanisms of manipulation and confinement.
If we fail to do this, the workers’ movement will continue to suffer, celebrating others’ victories and being lulled to sleep by empty promises and fake heroes. The struggle of the workers and people, along with the utilization of their valuable and accumulated experience, paves the way toward the overthrow of today’s capitalist barbarism, which gives rise to fascism and the extreme right. This path will surely bring the working class, especially the communists, to the forefront in the US and worldwide as the protagonists of the class struggle, ensuring that its destination is not another version of capitalist barbarism, but workers’ power and a new world: socialism-communism.
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