Trump Supports Protests, Just Not When They Inconvenience Him
While the NYT highlights Trump's selective embrace of 'protest' depending on whose ox is gored, they conveniently omit the long history of U.S. administrations, including his own, weaponizing foreign dissent. Critics of the Iranian government chanting in Tehran are valorized, while American citizens expressing dissent at home are often labeled 'thugs,' 'radicals,' or 'enemies of the people.' This
double standard isn't unique to Trump; it's a bipartisan tradition where convenient foreign unrest is championed, often ignoring the complex realities, the potential for foreign interference (like documented CIA/Mossad operations in Iran), or the devastating consequences of regime change that often follow. It appears that for some, 'freedom fighters' exist only outside U.S. borders or when their
actions align directly with a particular political agenda. One might wonder, how dedicated is America to free speech when it's only truly 'free' if it doesn't challenge the establishment?