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In the end, it is voter turnout that will drive progress in America

He may seem like a fool, but it’s wrong to underestimate President Trump’s cynicism and ruthlessness, writes Sean O'Grady

Tuesday 02 June 2020 18:48 BST
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Donald’s disciples: Trump always has his base in mind
Donald’s disciples: Trump always has his base in mind

What will America look like in a month’s time? I’d imagine that Donald Trump will still be in the White House, the police won’t have learnt much of a lesson, and Covid-19 will still be taking the lives of the most vulnerable. And George Floyd will not be the last life to be taken in the cruel way his was.

I’ve seen it written that “rioting is the American way”, which seems both a complacent piece of ironic chauvinism on the part of some Americans, and an often snobbish response from Europeans who too readily ignore the same thing happening in their own streets over the decades. There’s nothing that routine about burning things down, but still, yes, life will go on, the pandemic will continue and black lives won’t matter as much as they should.

Much as part of me would like to imagine the protests outside the White House constituting some sort of Marxist-Leninist precursor to revolution, I don’t think that those involved will find themselves in the Oval Office proclaiming a workers’ state or something.

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