Tiananmen, Trump and tanks to crush “the Enemy Within”
Tiananmen, Trump and tanks to crush “the Enemy Within”
Republicans (rightly) condemn the CCP for using the military against the Chinese people. So why don't they condemn Trump, who wants to do the same against the American people?
The iconic photo of Tank Man remains one of the most powerful images in living memory. It symbolizes the people against the powerful, the citizen against the state, the unarmed against those with a monopoly on violence, the oppressed against the oppressor.
The Tank Man photo has been invoked countless times over three decades by both Republican and Democratic Members of Congress to demonstrate that they stand with Tank Man and against those in power who would deploy the military to quash dissent.
And yet, Republican Members of Congress (223 of them according to this count) have endorsed Donald Trump, who wants to send in the military to quash dissent. They endorse the tank against Tank Man.
A few days ago, Trump suggested using the military to handle what he called “the enemy from within” on Election Day: “I think the bigger problem are the people from within. We have some very bad people. We have some sick people. Radical left lunatics… I think it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military, because they can’t let that happen.” He has doubled down on this.
This impulse is not isolated or new. Trump has a long record of wanting to use the military against U.S. citizens, including against Black Lives Matter protestors, to seize voting machines to reverse his election loss, to fight crime in Democrat-run cities, and to round up immigrants and put them in camps (echoing what XI Jinping has done to Uyghurs). Trump sides with the tank against Tank Man.
It’s relevant to recall that in 1990 Trump said approvingly, “When the students poured into Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government almost blew it. Then they were vicious, they were horrible, but they put it down with strength. That shows you the power of strength. Our country is right now perceived as weak.” Trump sides with the tank against Tank Man.
Trump repeatedly praises Chinese dictator Xi Jinping as “smart,” “brilliant,” “strong” and a “good friend” because “he controls 1.4 billion people with an iron fist.” Trump sides with the oppressor against the oppressed.
Reportedly, Trump told Xi that he “should go ahead with building the [concentration] camps [for Uyghurs], which Trump thought was exactly the right thing to do.” Trump sides with the oppressor against the oppressed.
In endorsing Donald Trump, Congressional Republicans are standing with the tank against Tank Man. They are siding with the oppressor against the oppressed. They give consent to an American President to subject his citizens to the same method that they claim was an atrocious crime for Chinese leaders to subject their citizens to. Why don’t Republicans think Americans merit the same protection from domestic military repression that they say the Chinese people did?
Maybe they can think they can control Trump’s unlawful excesses, as some say Jim Mattis, John Kelly or General Milley[1] did. Nope. This won’t happen in second term. Trump learned his lesson. Only proven loyalists will get jobs. That’s the purpose of Project 2025’s personnel database and training program.
And a Republican-led Congress isn’t going to restrain him. They learned their lesson too. Their behavior since about a week after January 6, 2021, has been nothing but compounding obsequiousness and obeisance. Speaker Mike Johnson isn’t even willing to say that Trump lost the 2020 election. Loyalty to The Leader is paramount. Just like in the CCP.
Zhao Ziyang was the Chinese leader who tried to stop hardliner Li Peng from crushing Tank Man with the tanks. He couldn’t and was swiftly removed from power. Not unlike the arc of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. Sitting Republicans Members learned their lesson. Now they kiss the ring of the American Li Peng.
What to do?
First, those of us who genuinely believe in human rights and rule of law must use the democratic process, while it is still available to us, to prevent a man who aspires to be a dictator on day one to gain the authority to deploy the military against Americans. But addressing the underlying problem is much more difficult. The Republican Party, during the presidential primaries, had an opportunity to choose a standard-bearer who didn’t admire the CCP dictator and his methods. Instead, they resoundingly affirmed the Xi admirer as their guy. The problem has become embedded in the core.
I have many Republican friends who are genuine in their concern about the human rights of the people of China, and who work hard to promote policies that impose accountability for human rights violations. I don’t hold them to the same standard of complicity as I do elected officials. I hope that, if we can get past Trump, they will be willing to see the parallels I see. We share a passion for human rights improvements in China. I hope they can agree this effort loses all its moral authority if the U.S. government adopts the rights-abusing behaviors of the Communist Chinese Party. Let’s stand with Tank Man against the tank.