The Trump Presidency
Trump escalates economic confrontation with China
By Andre Damon, 24 August 2019
Trump’s “order” for American companies to leave China marks a milestone in the global descent into economic nationalism and preparations for military conflict.
Wall Street falls as US-China trade conflict intensifies
By Nick Beams, 24 August 2019
Tweets by Trump in response to tariff measures by Beijing were his most belligerent to date, taking aim not only against China, but US corporations and the Federal Reserve.
Trump’s bid for Greenland and the imperialist redivision of the world
By Bill Van Auken, 23 August 2019
While the media has focused on Trump’s crude methods, underlying the proposal to buy Greenland is a deadly serious imperialist scramble for control of the Arctic.
Why is the New York Times still trying to sweep the Epstein case under the rug?
By Patrick Martin, 23 August 2019
Amid reports of “stunning” violations of protocol by prison officials in the death of America’s most famous prisoner, the Times claims that questions regarding the well-connected sex trafficker are “conspiracy theories.”
Trump orders indefinite jailing of detained immigrant families, attacks birthright citizenship
By Eric London, 22 August 2019
Democrats have largely backed Trump’s attacks on immigrants, with the New York Times describing his concentration camps as “family detention centers.”
Trump denounces Jews for “disloyalty” if they do not vote for him
By Patrick Martin, 22 August 2019
First voiced Tuesday, and repeated Wednesday, Trump’s remark is a thinly veiled appeal to his fascist and white supremacist supporters.
American media shuts down the Epstein story
By Patrick Martin, 19 August 2019
Despite many unanswered questions, virtually all reporting on the death of multi-millionaire sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein has halted following the verdict of suicide by the medical examiner.
Trump administration calls for permanent restoration of bulk phone communications surveillance
By Kevin Reed, 19 August 2019
The outgoing director of National Intelligence appealed to Congress for the restoration of the surveillance program that was exposed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
Amy Klobuchar: The favorite Democrat of Senate Republicans
By George Gallanis, 19 August 2019
Underneath the banality of Klobuchar’s presidential campaign are pro-war, right-wing politics.
Tlaib agrees to Israeli terms, then reverses herself on West Bank visit
By Barry Grey, 17 August 2019
The events of the past two days have provided a fresh demonstration of the cowardice of the Democratic Party and the absence within it of any principled opposition to Donald Trump’s authoritarian agenda.
As China masses troops on border, Trump calls for end to Hong Kong “problem”
By Mike Head, 16 August 2019
The US president solidarised himself with his Chinese counterpart in the “tough business” of dealing with social unrest.
A dictatorial move: Trump blocks travel to Israel by two congresswomen
By Patrick Martin, 16 August 2019
The intervention by the president to block travel by representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar is another blow against the US constitutional framework.
Protesters pepper-sprayed outside Rhode Island ICE facility after officer drives truck into crowd
By Trévon Austin, 16 August 2019
At least one demonstrator was seriously injured in the attack, suffering a broken leg, internal bleeding, and a back injury.
Autopsy indicates death of Jeffrey Epstein likely due to strangulation
By Matthew Taylor, 16 August 2019
The report based on the autopsy explodes the ongoing efforts by the media, led by the New York Times, to dismiss all questions about the death of Epstein as “conspiracy theories.”
Iran tanker released in Gibraltar despite US bid to seize it
By Bill Van Auken, 16 August 2019
The decision to release the tanker, formally declared by Gibraltar, but clearly made in London, exposes rising tensions over Washington’s “maximum pressure” policy.
Trump administration sabotages Endangered Species Act
By Kevin Martinez, 15 August 2019
The White House is seeking to reduce environmental regulations aimed at preserving plants and animals from extinction.
Trump again “jokes” about extending his presidency
By Patrick Martin, 15 August 2019
There is nothing funny about an American president publicly mulling over the prospects for becoming dictator-for-life.
Trump imposes new class-based immigration restrictions
By Eric London, 13 August 2019
The draconian regulation change means immigrants will be denied permanent residency if they have a low credit score, for example.
FBI presses for social media surveillance “early alerting tool” in aftermath of mass shootings
By Kevin Reed, 12 August 2019
The FBI is stepping up its campaign for a real-time social media alert tool to allow continuous surveillance of all social media activity across platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Who wanted Jeffrey Epstein dead?
By Patrick Martin, 12 August 2019
The circumstances of Jeffrey Epstein’s death fully justify the widespread suspicions that he was murdered.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: #MeToo, McCarthyism and machine politics
By Josh Varlin, 12 August 2019
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s campaign, combining feminism and anti-Russia witch-hunting, has yet to mobilize significant support.
The Mississippi raid: Trump’s attack on immigrants and his Democratic enablers
By Patrick Martin, 9 August 2019
Hundreds of children have been traumatized by having their parents ripped away from them and, in many cases, shipped to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement prison 150 miles away.
Trump in El Paso: The culprit returns to the scene of the crime
By Eric London, 8 August 2019
The trip to Texas and Ohio was a dishonest attempt to evade responsibility for the fact that Trump instigated and bears principal political responsibility for what took place.
In wake of El Paso slaughter, Mexican government continues to do Trump’s bidding
By Don Knowland, 7 August 2019
The Mexican president said on Sunday, “We don’t want to interfere in the affairs of other countries; we’re going to continue sticking to the principles of non-intervention.”
Washington orders international embargo on Venezuela, threatens invasion
By Andrea Lobo, 7 August 2019
US envoy Elliott Abrams declared: “If you told George Bush Sr. in 1988 that he would invade Panama, he would have called it madness. But two or three years later, it happened.”
Britain to join US naval blockade of Iran
By Jean Shaoul, 7 August 2019
The decision signifies a further intensification of the drive to war against Iran.
US-China trade conflict escalates to currency war
By Nick Beams, 6 August 2019
Stock markets fell sharply around the world yesterday, amid fears of a currency war, after China allowed its currency, the renminbi, to pass through the benchmark of 7 to the US dollar.
US Secretary of State demands greater Australian involvement in war drive against China
By Oscar Grenfell, 6 August 2019
The support for Pompeo’s aggressive remarks in Canberra is a warning that behind its back, the Australian population has been placed on the frontline of a confrontation with China that threatens a catastrophic nuclear war.
Trump: The political enabler of fascist violence
By Patrick Martin, 5 August 2019
The president is the moral and political author of the bloody violence in El Paso, Gilroy and Dayton.
US to ring China with missiles in nuclear arms race
By Andre Damon, 5 August 2019
With the potential deployment of US nuclear missiles just minutes in flight-time from the Chinese mainland, the region’s huge population will live under the specter of nuclear annihilation.
FAA concealed flaws in Boeing aircraft after Lion Air crash in Indonesia
By Bryan Dyne, 5 August 2019
The Federal Aviation Administration kept Boeing’s dangerous 737 Max 8 flying to protect the profits of the aerospace giant.
Trump orders review of Pentagon’s JEDI cloud computing contract
By Nick Barrickman, 5 August 2019
Trump’s decision to halt the bidding process reflects concerns over Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ opposition to the administration’s policies.
Trump escalates trade war against China
By Nick Beams, 2 August 2019
The decision to impose a 10 percent tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, covering a wide range of consumer products, represents the most significant intensification of the more than year-long trade war to date.
Federal Reserve cuts rates, but Wall Street demands more
By Nick Beams, 1 August 2019
The Fed decision makes clear that the pumping of ultra-cheap money into the financial system by central banks for the benefit of the financial oligarchy has become the “new normal.”
More than 900 children taken from their families in the last year
Trump administration continuing family separations at US-Mexico border despite court order
By Julian James, 1 August 2019
Just over a year after a district court ordered Customs and Border Protection to cease its policy of family separations at the Mexico-US border, the ACLU reports that children continue to be wrenched from their families.
Trump continues racist diatribes
By Tom Hall, 30 July 2019
Trump’s aim is to stoke up a civil war atmosphere to justify dictatorial measures.
Trump threatens unilateral action against World Trade Organization
By Nick Beams, 30 July 2019
A memorandum on the WTO issued Friday by the White House represents a significant challenge to the structure of the world’s major trade regulatory body.
Trump names ultra-right congressman as intelligence chief
By Patrick Martin, 30 July 2019
Trump named Representative John Ratcliffe to replace Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, who resigned effective August 15.
Trump threatens to declare Antifa a terrorist group
By Patrick Martin, 29 July 2019
The action would set a precedent for criminalizing left-wing opposition to attacks on immigrants and the policies of the Trump administration more generally.
As protesters cry: “Guatemala is not a concentration camp”
Guatemalan ruling class braces for repercussions of asylum deal imposed by Trump
By Andrea Lobo, 29 July 2019
The Guatemalan state is being turned into an extension of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with the militarization of borders and building of concentration camps.
The political strategy behind Trump’s racist diatribe against Baltimore
By Joseph Kishore, 29 July 2019
Trump’s diatribes mark a calculated escalation of his efforts to base his reelection campaign on the incitement of an openly fascistic movement
Supreme Court approves construction of Trump’s border wall
By Eric London, 27 July 2019
The ruling is a political victory for Trump and a blow to the separation of powers, dramatically strengthening the power of the executive branch.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joins House Democrats in vote for Trump war budget
By Patrick Martin, 27 July 2019
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib, both members of the Democratic Socialists of America, voted for a bill that includes a record $738 billion for the military.
Mueller testimony: Another debacle for the Democrats’ anti-Russia campaign
By Tom Hall, 25 July 2019
The Democrats staged two House committee hearings with the former FBI head and special counsel in an attempt to revive their discredited claim that Putin stole the 2016 election for Trump.
US Secretary of State Pompeo announces “new era” of US-Latin America reaction
By Andrea Lobo, 25 July 2019
Pompeo boasted about extraditing Assange, while demanding greater spying, anti-immigrant crackdowns and alignment with the US drive against its geopolitical rivals.
With Pakistan’s prime minister at his side,
Trump threatens to wipe Afghanistan “off the face of the Earth”
By Sampath Perera and Keith Jones, 24 July 2019
US President Trump threatened Monday to “kill 10 million” Afghans in “a week” so as to win a quick victory in America’s longest war.
Mass protests shake Puerto Rican and US political establishment
By Jerry White, 23 July 2019
In what has been described as the largest demonstration in Puerto Rican history, an estimated half a million people marched Monday to demand the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló.
Iran accuses 17 of spying for CIA as tensions escalate
By Steve James and Robert Stevens, 23 July 2019
Iran’s arrest of 17 alleged CIA agents follows weeks of intense US pressure that brought the Trump administration within 10 minutes of bombing raids.
Report details Indian security forces use of torture against Kashmiri people
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 23 July 2019
Jammu and Kashmir has been under de facto military rule since 1990, with over half a million security forces deployed in a state of just 13 million people.
Reports expose Trump administration’s “Border Patrol to emergency room” pipeline
By Patrick Martin, 22 July 2019
Immigrant detainees are deliberately being subjected to conditions that spread disease in detention centers along the southern border.
War danger in Middle East exacerbates political crisis in Britain
By Robert Stevens, 22 July 2019
As Britain moves closer to war, the Iran crisis is being seized on by those advocating a drastic increase in the UK’s military budget.
Iran seizes UK tanker in Strait of Hormuz as danger of Middle East war mounts
By Jordan Shilton, 20 July 2019
Chief responsibility for the growing war danger in the Persian Gulf rests squarely with US imperialism, which has relentlessly escalated its provocations against Iran.
US immigration agents use children to inflict terror on migrant families
By Joe Williams, 20 July 2019
Three recent incidents highlight the depravity of the US government’s bipartisan war on immigrants, spearheaded by the Trump administration.
Mixed signals on rate cut prompts Trump to demand the Fed enlist in US trade war against rivals
By Nick Beams, 20 July 2019
Trump is demanding that the Fed drop all pretence of “independence” and openly serve as an instrument of Washington’s economic war against its global competitors.
Canada’s Trudeau postures as opponent of Trump following US president’s fascist outburst
By Roger Jordan, 20 July 2019
Trudeau’s theatrics notwithstanding, his government is an enthusiastic accomplice of Trump in implementing some of his administration’s most reactionary and belligerent policies.
Trump appeals to Democratic establishment and attacks the left
By Eric London, 19 July 2019
Trump’s praise for Democrats voting against impeachment was not mere bluster; he is operating according to a deliberate political strategy.
Campaign rally in North Carolina
Trump praises Democratic Party on impeachment, denounces congresswomen as a crowd howls, “Send her back!”
By Eric London, 18 July 2019
Continuing his fascistic campaign against socialism, Trump denounced “left-wing extremists who reject everything our nation stands for.”
Trump aide demands of Jewish reporter: “What’s your ethnicity?”
By Patrick Martin, 18 July 2019
Kellyanne Conway’s outburst, which has been hailed by neo-Nazi groups, gives a glimpse of the fascistic climate within Trump’s inner circle.
Donald Trump’s fascist strategy
By Eric London, 17 July 2019
Trump is proceeding according to a deliberate political strategy worked out with the White House’s fascist brain trust.
Trump abolishes right to asylum on US southern border
By Bill Van Auken, 16 July 2019
The White House order condemns many thousands of Central American men, women and children to be summarily returned to conditions of murderous violence.
The fascists in the White House
By Patrick Martin, 16 July 2019
Trump speaks openly as a fascist, demonizing people of different races and national origins, vilifying socialism, and declaring that those who oppose his administration’s policies are disloyal to the country and should leave it.
As Trump launches immigration raids
Democrats back mass deportations
By Eric London, 15 July 2019
Regardless of immigration status, all workers must understand that they are the ultimate target of the anti-democratic methods used against immigrants.
House Democrats ratify $733 billion for US military
By Patrick Martin, 15 July 2019
The bill was passed with more than a dozen amendments, all of which will eventually be removed, to ensure the support of Democratic “progressives.”
Thousands march in Chicago to demand end to US immigrant detention camps, raids and deportations
By Kristina Betinis, 15 July 2019
The event was aimed at containing the enormous social opposition to the extreme-right policies of the Trump administration and the Republicans, within the confines of the Democratic Party,
Voices from the protests against Trump’s attack on immigrants
By our reporters, 15 July 2019
The WSWS spoke with hundreds across the country, including Kare, a paralegal in New York City, who said, “Change certainly won’t be coming from the top. This has been going on too long, and now that people are aware of it, we have to stand up.”
US-China trade negotiations at virtual standstill
By Nick Beams, 15 July 2019
While Beijing continues to maintain that it is open to discussions, the evidence indicates it has all but given up on any prospect of reaching an agreement.
The Democratic presidential candidates: A socialist appraisal
Pete Buttigieg: The made-to-order political “outsider”
By Tom Hall, 15 July 2019
The sudden elevation of Buttigieg is an effort to shift the Democratic presidential campaign to the right, particularly on issues related to national security.
Thousands protest immigrant concentration camps at vigils across the US
By our reporters, 13 July 2019
The vigils were an international event, with at least one event taking place in every US state and across five continents, expressing the broad popular opposition to the persecution of immigrants.
Trump’s nominee for top US military commander calls for nuclear buildup to confront China
By Bill Van Auken, 13 July 2019
General Milley, tapped as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, predicted that the US would be in confrontation with China for the next 100 years.
Trump’s raids and the stench of fascism
By Eric London, 12 July 2019
Beginning Sunday, the Trump administration plans to launch the largest immigration raids in US history, targeting 2,000 families for arrest and deportation.
As economic conflicts intensify
One year since the start of US trade war against China
By Nick Beams, 8 July 2019
Under conditions of its relative economic decline, the US regards China's industrial and technological development as intolerable, and will use all methods necessary to prevent it.
Trump’s Fourth of July: The militarist bombast of a crisis-ridden system
By Joseph Kishore, 6 July 2019
Intended as a demonstration of the eternal power and greatness of American capitalism, what was instead exposed in the grotesque spectacle is a beleaguered and isolated ruling class.
Royal Marines seize Iranian tanker under orders from US
By Chris Marsden, 6 July 2019
Britain’s seizure of an Iranian supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of oil is an act of piracy and a major escalation in tensions that threaten to spiral out of control.
American injustice: Trump and cronies protect a murderous US Navy SEAL
By Jacob Crosse, 6 July 2019
In the months leading up to Edward Gallagher’s acquittal, several members of his defense team were revealed to have close ties to the White House.
Trump unleashes torrent of militarism in Fourth of July speech
By Tom Hall, 5 July 2019
Trump’s hour-long paean to the military was designed to further elevate the military as the supreme arbiter of American politics and buttress of his own personalist rule.
“We can definitely unite with Central American workers!”
Detroiters oppose Trump’s war on immigrants at Fourth of July protest
By Zac Corrigan, 5 July 2019
Over 150 people gathered in front of the ICE Enforcement & Removal Operations Field Office in downtown Detroit Thursday to register their opposition to the most recent wave of horrific attacks on immigrants by the Trump administration.
Australian prime minister lines up with Trump at the G20
By Peter Symonds, 3 July 2019
Trump made clear that he expected Morrison and the Australian government to back the US in its confrontations on all fronts—in particular against Iran and China.
Trump national security team revives demand for “backdoor” access to encryption
By Kevin Reed, 3 July 2019
A Politico report has revealed that key National Security Council members have debated whether to ask Congress to pass laws that would make end-to-end encryption technologies illegal.
Tanks on the streets of Washington, DC for the Fourth of July
By Eric London, 2 July 2019
The planned display of military force in the strip of land separating Congress from the White House is a deliberate political provocation long planned by Trump and his fascistic advisors.
Platitudes at the G20 can’t mask a world on the brink of war
By Nick Beams, 1 July 2019
Trump’s theatrical overtures of peace toward North Korea after the G20 summit were belied by the Senate’s passage of the biggest military budget in American history.
Democrats back Trump’s massive “World War III” military budget
By Andre Damon, 1 July 2019
Senate Democrats voted overwhelmingly for the largest US military budget ever in a bill that gives Trump a green light for war with Iran and backs his “state of emergency” on the border.
Trump meets North Korean leader as part of broader anti-China agenda
By Ben McGrath, 1 July 2019
Washington’s approach to North Korea has nothing to do with peace on the Korean Peninsula, but is about drawing Pyongyang into Washington’s orbit.
The G20 Summit in Osaka: The war of all against all
By Andre Damon, 29 June 2019
World leaders gathered in Osaka, Japan for the G20 summit amid the relentless promotion of trade war, protectionism and militarism.
Palestinians strike, protest against Kushner’s “deal of the century”
By Bill Van Auken, 27 June 2019
Jared Kushner’s “vision” is that of the transformation of the West Bank and Gaza into a capitalist investors’ paradise, where “money can trickle down to the people.”
Trump plan will slash Medicaid and food stamps
By Norisa Diaz, 26 June 2019
The Trump administration is pursuing a change in the way the federal government calculates inflation to cut hundreds of thousands of people from basic social services.
No to concentration camps in America!
By Eric London, 26 June 2019
Hundreds of millions of people around the world are sickened by Trump’s sadistic crimes against immigrants, which have exposed the rot at the core of American capitalism.
Horror across US-Mexico border with multiple parents, infants dead
By Eric London, 25 June 2019
Over the weekend, two young parents and four young children died crossing the desert in separate instances while Mexican police shot a young migrant in the head.
Trump, Democrats seek anti-immigrant deal
By Patrick Martin, 24 June 2019
The postponement of mass raids set for Sunday morning sets the stage for the passage of bipartisan legislation to provide billions more to arrest and imprison immigrants.
Minutes to disaster: Lessons to be learned from the confrontation with Iran
By Andre Damon, 24 June 2019
On Thursday, the United States came within minutes of launching a war, without any serious examination of its military consequences.
Trump to launch military-style immigration raids nationwide this weekend
By Eric London, 22 June 2019
The raids are a sign that Trump is propping up his crisis-ridden administration with police terror and appeals to his fascist base.
Trump’s aborted strikes on Iran: Ten minutes to World War III
By Bill Van Auken, 22 June 2019
Trump’s’ assertion that the US war machine was on the brink of attacking Iran remains the case, with the White House set to use any incident, real or manufactured, to pull the trigger.
Report highlights mistreatment of refugee children in US internment camps
By Fred Mazelis, 22 June 2019
A team of lawyers interviewed 60 young detainees being held outside El Paso, Texas, who reported neglect as well as the provision of inadequate food, water and sanitation.
‘Severe form of human trafficking’: Five charged in federal indictment over scheme that spread from Georgia to Wisconsin
By Jacob Crosse, 22 June 2019
The charges stem from a multi-year investigation between various federal agencies and the Racine Police Department located in southeastern Wisconsin.
Trudeau lines Canada up behind Trump’s war drive against Iran
By Roger Jordan, 22 June 2019
Trudeau’s White House comments explicitly declare that when US imperialism decides to launch a military onslaught on Iran, Canadian imperialism will support its “closest ally.”
Trump kicks off 2020 presidential campaign with fascistic rally
While Biden pledges to protect billionaires
By Patrick Martin, 20 June 2019
Trump has one political advantage: that his nominal opposition is the Democratic Party, just as committed to the defense of big business as the Republicans.
Trump announces operation to deport “millions” of immigrants from the US
By Niles Niemuth, 19 June 2019
The arrest of millions would require effective martial law in every major city, in a military-style mobilization without precedent in American history.
US preparing “assault” against Iran
By Peter Symonds, 18 June 2019
The Jerusalem Post reported that the Trump administration is actively planning a “tactical assault” on Iran, involving a massive air attack on an Iranian nuclear facility.
Ecuadorian government gives Pentagon a base in the Galapagos
By Bill Van Auken, 18 June 2019
Inviting the Pentagon to use the world-renowned environmental site as a US aircraft carrier is of a piece with the Moreno government’s betrayal of Julian Assange.
Trump doubles down on US lies about Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 15 June 2019
Trump’s absurd lies about Iranian responsibility for an attack on two tankers in the Persian Gulf directly contradicted claims by the owner of one of the ships.
Democrats seize on Trump comment to push their anti-Russia campaign
By Fred Mazelis, 15 June 2019
The reaction of the Democrats to Trump’s latest comments underscores the entirely right-wing, pro-war basis of their opposition to the most reactionary president in US history.
Follow the WSWS