On the 26th of July, Donald Trump returned to DC for the first time since he fled Biden’s Inaugural on Jan 20, 2021. He was the keynote speaker at an indoor “America First” rally at the Marriott Marquis near the Convention Center. Protesters dropped an “Indict Trump” banner inside and chants of “No Trump, no KKK no Fascist USA” resonated from the walls.
This was a potentially menacing event going in, given the violent fascist incidents of the past week or so. Someone close to Trump had arranged for a “security force” in mostly unmarked green uniforms displaying an eagle but no obvious name of any security company. There was the danger if Trump declared both his candidacy and that one or more fascist formations were welcome to act as his street army, considerable violence was possible. Most of that violence would be nowhere near DC, but the trigger incident would be the speech at the Marriot. Fortunately, neither of these ugly possibilities came to pass.
As it was, Trump gave an incredibly hypocritical speech about “law and order.” He demanded “we have to leave our police alone,” after his supporters beat, maced, tazed, and crushed members of the Capitol Police on Jan 6, 2021(J6). In a similar vein, he called for unleashing the National Guard on the public in the event of a “total breakdown of law and order” where “citizen’s basic rights have been violated. That again no doubt is not intended to mean the National Guard should have been used to put down his coup attempt, only to put down Black Lives Matter protests. He SCREAMED about the tent cities unhouse folks have been forced to build by evictions and skyrocketing rents, yet for most of his life he was known as one of the worst of racist slumlords in NYC. He praised the brutal so-called “justice” system of China.
The speech droned on for more than two hours, dripping with venom, hate, and hypocrisy. The Marriott Marquis should be ashamed of themselves for hosting Trump inside DC after J6. Oh well, you can’t spell “MarrRiot” without “Riot.”
Trump’s menacing “Greenshirt” guards
Insignia on Greenshirt uniforms-only the words “security liason” appear where a company name should be. Logo matches Colorado Security Agency-but no label
Photo by John Zangas