In the House Judiciary Committee, the discussion on Wednesday was about police reforms and ending police brutality against Black Americans. That same discussion has been conducted in the streets of America for the last two weeks as millions have marched, protested, and held vigils following the police murder of George Floyd.
But Donald Trump is having a different conversation. In addition to hiding in the White House bunker and ordering officials to erect a three-deep series of fences to keep blocks of space between himself and the rabble, Trump has alternated tweeting demands for the military to “dominate the streets” and claims that antifa is everywhere.
So it’s not surprising that Trump moved his thumbs on Thursday morning to brag about how easily the military “took care of” peaceful protesters. It’s also not surprising that in the process Trump thanked the “S.S.” for doing a “great job.”
There’s absolutely zero doubt that when asked about it, Back-Up Ivanka Kaleigh McEnany will assert that “S.S.” is a commonly used term for the Secret Service. Except that it’s not. People don’t call the Secret Service the S.S. because they know those letters are laden with a very specific meaning.
Trump knows that, too. Like his planning to restart his rallies in Tulsa on June 19, there’s little doubt that he understands the symbolism of what he’s doing.
This is Trump snickering at the country. He knows that we know. We know he knows. We also know that when confronted, he will feign both innocence and outrage. Because he really is that fourth-grade asshole who thinks it’s cool to spit in your milk.
But as distracting as Trump’s absolutely intentional reference to the S.S. may be, the full content of the tweet is worse. Not only did Trump throw all protesters into a single basket of troublemakers—with, of course, a slathering of antifa sauce—he bragged about how easily the military had handled these scoundrels. Trump is casting those protesting against violence as the enemy deserving of violence. And he’s crowing about the military’s ability to trample civilians at his command.
Just because Trump tossed that “S.S.” on the heap for the joy of watching the reaction doesn’t mean he’s not serious about brutalizing Americans to sustain his power. Don’t be surprised if bragging about how easily the military can stamp out dissent is a big part of his rally. The one he’s holding in Tulsa. On Juneteenth.