AFP USA

Donald Trump and the ‘rhetoric of emergency’

Tariffs, immigration, energy: In all these areas, Donald Trump has granted himself exceptional and broad presidential powers by declaring “emergency” situations that his critics insist do not exist.”In the United States, there is no tradition of emergency powers (granted to the president) under the Constitution,” New York University professor Noah Rosenblum told AFP.But various laws allow the commander-in-chief’s powers to be expanded on an exceptional — and usually temporary — basis.Historically such emergency powers have been invoked to deal with natural disasters, to deploy responders or troops, and to unlock critical funding. “But that, of course, is not how Donald Trump is using it,” Rosenblum said.Since returning to the White House on January 20, the Republican president has repeatedly invoked states of emergency in a variety of areas — eight times in all, according to National Public Radio — thus green-lighting swift and forceful intervention on his administration’s part.They have had little to do with hurricanes, floods or earthquakes.On his first day in office, Trump declared a “national energy emergency” in the United States — the world’s leading oil producer.By early April, frustrated by the trade deficits the United States had with many countries, including some imbalances going back decades, Trump declared a national emergency, among other reasons, “to increase our competitive edge,” the White House said. The result? Tariffs slapped on adversaries and allies alike.The flow of migrants arriving from Mexico has prompted Trump to declare a state of emergency at the US southern border, and he apparently feels empowered to respond with massive import duties, or forced deportations of undocumented migrants.- ‘Aspiring autocrat’ -Now, Trump has sent the US military into Los Angeles to quell protests, invoking a seldom-used law that allows the president to deploy National Guard units if there is a “rebellion or danger of rebellion.”The move countered the wishes of local authorities and California Governor Gavin Newsom, who accused Trump of a “dictatorial” drift.”The president is simply announcing emergencies when there aren’t any,” said Frank Bowman, a law professor at the University of Missouri, noting how local police have said they are capable of handling clashes with protesters opposed to raids by immigration agents.”All of these grants of potential emergency powers really don’t account for the election of a president like Mr. Trump, who is not entirely rational, who is not dedicated to the rule of law, who is, in fact, an aspiring autocrat who is looking… to exercise extraordinary power,” Bowman told AFP.Trump is not the first US leader to invoke exceptional circumstances to justify such moves, even if he does so in a way without precedent.His Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, for example, decided to forgive student debt given the “emergency” created by the Covid pandemic. The conservative-leaning Supreme Court was not convinced, however, and blocked the plan.- Eisenhower and Nixon -In Trump’s case, will the courts, which have been flooded by lawsuits, affirm the legality of actions taken in the name of imminent peril?The tendency of judges “in these kinds of things is to defer pretty heavily to the president,” Bowman said.On Thursday, a California court will consider a request by Governor Newsom to suspend Trump’s troop deployment.In a filing to the court, the administration said Trump’s judgment has historical precedent.Courts did not interfere when President Dwight Eisenhower sent troops to protect school desegregation or when Richard Nixon deployed the military to deliver the mail during a postal workers’ strike, “and courts should not interfere here either,” it said.Beyond the legal tussles, the relentless use of the language of urgency, of imminent threat or national peril, is part of a broader strategy, professor Rosenblum stressed.Trump, he said, “is using the perpetual rhetoric of emergency to keep us perpetually riled up and either on the defensive and so increasingly exhausted or scared and aggressive — and so demanding government intervention.” 

Protests spread across US despite Trump threats

Protests over hardline immigration tactics ignited across the United States Wednesday after days of demonstrations in Los Angeles, as California prepared for a legal showdown over President Donald Trump’s deployment of the military.Over 1,000 people massed in America’s second biggest city for a sixth day of protests, with the crowd peaceful as they marched through the streets.A second night of curfew was in place as city leaders try to get a handle on the after-dark vandalism and looting that scarred a few city blocks in the 500-square-mile (1,300 square kilometers) metropolis.”I would say for the most part everything is hunky dory right here at Ground Zero,” protester Lynn Sturgis, 66, a retired school teacher, told AFP.”Our city is not at all on fire, it’s not burning down, as our terrible leader is trying to tell you.”The mostly peaceful protests ignited over a sudden escalation in efforts to apprehend migrants in the country illegally.Pockets of violence — including the burning of self-driving taxis and hurling stones at police — were nothing the 8,500 officers of the Los Angeles Police Department had not dealt with before.Trump won the election last year partly on promises to combat what he claims is an “invasion” by undocumented migrants.He is now seizing the opportunity to make political capital, ordering the California National Guard to deploy despite Governor Gavin Newsom’s objections, the first time a US president has taken such action in decades.”We’re going to have a safe country,” he told reporters on his way into a performance of “Les Miserables” in Washington. “We’re not going to have what would have happened in Los Angeles. Remember, if I wasn’t there… Los Angeles would have been burning to the ground.”Around 1,000 of the 4,700 troops Trump deployed were actively guarding facilities and working alongside ICE agents, said Scott Sherman, Deputy Commanding General Army North, who is leading operations.The rest — including 700 active duty Marines — were mustering or undergoing training to deal with civil disturbances, he said.The Pentagon has said the deployment will cost taxpayers $134 million.Governor Newsom, a Democrat widely viewed as eying a 2028 presidential run, has charged that Trump is seeking to escalate the confrontation for political gain.He warned Tuesday that the unprecedented militarization would creep beyond his state’s borders, claiming “democracy is under assault right before our eyes.”Lawyers for California were expected in court on Thursday to seek an order blocking troops from accompanying immigration officers as they arrest migrants.Trump administration lawyers called the application a “crass political stunt.”- Nationwide protests growing -Despite Trump’s threats to deploy the National Guard to other Democratic-run states, protesters appeared undeterred.Demonstrations were reported in St Louis, Raleigh, Manhattan, Indianapolis, Spokane and Denver.In San Antonio, hundreds marched and chanted near city hall, reports said, where Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has deployed the state’s National Guard.A nationwide “No Kings” movement was expected on Saturday, when Trump will attend a highly unusual military parade in the US capital.The parade, featuring warplanes and tanks, has been organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army but also happens to be the day of Trump’s 79th birthday.- ‘Inflamed’ situation -The Trump administration is painting the protests as a violent threat to the nation, requiring military force to support regular immigration agents and police.But Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the crisis had been manufactured in Washington.”A week ago, everything was peaceful in the city of Los Angeles,” she told reporters.”Things began to be difficult on Friday when raids took place… that is the cause of the problems.”This was provoked by the White House.”Arrests by masked and armed men continued Wednesday.A pastor in the LA suburb of Downey said five armed men driving out-of-state cars grabbed a Spanish-speaking man in the church’s parking lot.When she challenged the men and asked for their badge numbers and names, they refused.”They did point their rifle at me and said, ‘You need to get back,'” Lopez told broadcaster KTLA.

Trump unveils website for $5 million US residency visa

President Donald Trump touted a new website for his planned $5 million US residency permit on Wednesday, saying the waiting list for the golden visa has opened on TrumpCard.gov.”Thousands have been calling and asking how they can sign up to ride a beautiful road in gaining access to the Greatest Country and Market anywhere in the World,” Trump wrote in a social media post.Trump unveiled the first such visa aboard Air Force One in April, holding a golden prototype that bore his face and promising the special permit would probably be available “in less than two weeks.”The visas are not available yet, but the website announced Wednesday allows interested parties to submit their name, desired visa and email address under a header that says “The Trump Card is Coming.” Trump previously said the new visa, a high-price version of the traditional green card, would bring in job creators and could be used to reduce the US national deficit.The announcement comes as deportation raids are being ramped up across the country, prompting protests, and as Trump’s administration faces ongoing lawsuits and accusations of rights violations over its anti-immigration blitz.Trump has said the new card would be a route to highly prized US citizenship. He said in February that his administration hoped to sell “maybe a million” of the cards and did not rule out that Russian oligarchs may be eligible.

‘Our city is not on fire’: LA residents reject Trump rhetoric

Just blocks from where a handful of die-hard protesters faced police in Los Angeles on Wednesday, residents were enjoying lunch in the sun and shrugging off Donald Trump’s claims their city was burning.Six days after unrest began — prompting the US president to send soldiers into the streets, over the furious protests of local officials — life in the City of Angels was going on largely as normal.”Everything is hunky dory right here at Ground Zero,” Lynn Sturgis, a retired teacher who was protesting outside the federal complex that has been at the heart of the demonstrations in Downtown Los Angeles, told AFP. “Our city is not at all on fire, it’s not burning down, as our terrible leader is trying to tell you.”The demonstrations began Friday as immigration authorities carried out raids on undocumented migrants in the sprawling metropolis.They have continued each day since — mostly peacefully, but tarnished by several spectacular incidents of violence, including torched cars and sporadic clashes with law enforcement.  Trump has insisted that if he had not taken the extraordinary step of sending troops into Los Angeles over the weekend, “it would be burning to the ground right now.”- ‘Manufactured’ -“Not at all… this is very calm,” protester Ellen Carpenter, a retired federal worker who was demonstrating alongside Sturgis, told AFP.”I lived in Washington, DC for a long time, so I was part of very large protests there, you know, millions and millions of people. This is a little wimpy by comparison.””This whole thing has been manufactured by the current administration,” Sturgis said.Trump’s promises to crack down on illegal immigration helped propel him back into the White House.He seized the opportunity presented by the Los Angeles rallies to order the California National Guard to deploy along with hundreds of Marines — a move state governor Gavin Newsom called “dictatorial.”Los Angeles real estate agent Tracey, who declined to give her last name, said the deployment was a “mistake.””I don’t feel safe” with the military presence in the city, she said, even as she admitted that the protests had at times been “scary”.Retired actor Thomas welcomed the troops, however. – Not taking chances -“As soon as it gets dark, thugs come out and cause trouble,” the 69-year-old told AFP downtown. It is the National Guard that has calmed things down, he argued — “bringing in more force. That’s all they understand… You have to step in and put your foot down.”Restaurants in the streets surrounding the protest area were packed at lunchtime Wednesday. Workers cleaned graffiti sprayed by protesters on federal buildings as curious passers-by stopped to watch and snap photos. But there were some signs of apprehension as a handful of businesses were boarding up, worried that protests planned for the weekend could spiral into more violence.Trump will hold a military parade in Washington for his birthday on Saturday that coincides with planned protests in more cities across the country. “There’s lots of expensive glass behind these boards that we’re worried about, so we’re not going to take any chances,” Chis Gonzalez, who was overseeing the boarding up of one downtown business, told AFP.”Saturday, you know, seems like it’s going to be a big protest. We’re just anticipating the worst… Not saying the protests are bad, but it’s definitely scary when you have a business to protect.”

From fishing family to Big Tech: French CEO takes on Silicon Valley

At just 39 years old, Fidji Simo is poised to become OpenAI’s second-in-command after leaving her mark at two other major tech firms, including Meta.Reporting directly to CEO Sam Altman, the move to the ChatGPT-maker represents the latest chapter in a career that has taken Simo from a fishing family in France’s Mediterranean port of Sete to the heights of Silicon Valley.As the current CEO of grocery delivery platform Instacart, she cuts a unique profile: a French woman in the male-dominated American tech landscape — who resists advice to blend in.”I can put all my energy trying to be someone else or I can be myself and pour all of that energy into what I can create,” she told CNBC in February.This philosophy will likely be on display when she appears Thursday at the VivaTech conference in Paris.Raised in Sete, Simo attended the elite HEC business school before joining eBay in 2006, first in France then in California.”People expect a very business-like story for why I decided to come to the US. It wasn’t. The American Dream was on TV every night and that was an incredibly appealing thing,” she said.- ‘Never Intimidated’ -In 2011, Simo joined Facebook, now Meta. She was given responsibility for video and monetization in 2014, a role she considers the defining moment of her career.Simo championed the company’s pivot to video, which became central to Meta’s strategy despite initial internal skepticism.”She never let herself be intimidated,” recalled David Marcus, who worked at Meta alongside Simo and now serves as CEO of online payment company Lightspark.”She had an ability to challenge Mark (Zuckerberg) and push him, when others would have hesitated.”Joining Instacart in 2021, Simo inherited a company that had been bleeding money for a decade.Under her leadership, the grocery delivery platform achieved profitability in 2022 through aggressive diversification: data monetization, expanded retail partnerships and a robust advertising business.Now Simo faces her biggest test yet. As OpenAI’s number two, she’ll free up CEO Altman to focus on research and infrastructure while she tackles the company’s operational challenges.Despite being one of history’s most highly funded startups and ChatGPT’s phenomenal success, OpenAI is burning cash at an alarming rate.The company has also weathered significant leadership turnover, including Altman’s own brief ouster and reinstatement in 2023, raising questions about management stability.But French investor Julien Codorniou, who worked alongside Simo at Facebook, said she will more than rise to the occasion.”Fidji’s arrival is a declaration of ambition by OpenAI,” he said.

Trump cheered, jeered at ‘Les Miserables’ debut in Washington

Cheers but also boos met US President Donald Trump as he attended a performance Wednesday of “Les Miserables” at Washington’s premier cultural institution, which he has effectively seized control of since returning to power in January.Trump’s appearance at the opening night of the hit musical “Les Miserables” at the renowned Kennedy Center could hardly have been more politically charged.The 78-year-old Republican recently orchestrated a conservative takeover of the famed arts venue, reportedly prompting some “Les Mis” cast members to boycott the show.”I couldn’t care less. Honestly, I couldn’t. All I do is run the country well,” Trump told reporters when asked about a boycott as he arrived with First Lady Melania Trump.The show’s tale of revolutionary fervor, featuring street protesters in 19th century France manning the barricades against a repressive leader also seemed to take on new relevance as the United States itself faces fresh turbulence over Trump’s governance.When the presidential couple appeared Wednesday evening on the central balcony, emblazoned with a presidential seal, booing audience members appeared to struggle to make themselves heard over cheers and chants of “USA! USA!”- ‘Dictatorial’ behavior -Trump, who was joined by Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance at the premiere, has recently sent in troops to deal with protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles.”We’re going to have a safe country… Remember, if I wasn’t there… Los Angeles would have been burning to the ground,” Trump insisted to reporters.California officials accuse him of “dictatorial” behavior and of manufacturing a confrontation by deploying thousands of National Guard troops and US Marines.”I think the irony is probably lost on him,” Peter Loge, director of George Washington University’s School of Media, told AFP.California’s Democratic governor Gavin Newsom, who has harshly criticized Trump’s actions in his state, reacted on X to news that Trump was attending the musical with the plea: “Someone explain the plot to him.”The social injustice portrayed in Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel — coupled with songs such as “Do You Hear the People Sing?” and “I Dreamed a Dream” — has long resonated with audiences around the world. Billionaire Trump, who had announced his decision to attend “Les Miserables” before the Los Angeles protests erupted, says he too has long been a fan. – ‘Love the songs’ -The real estate tycoon has played songs from the show at his rallies and political events. “I love the songs, I love the play,” Trump told Fox News Digital last week.Asked which of the play’s characters he most identified with, however, Trump punted to his wife. “That’s a tough one… you better answer that one, honey,” Trump replied.His attendance is yet another show of strength after installing himself as chairman of the center and replacing the entire board with loyalists in February.Loge said Trump’s presence there was part of a broader effort at image-making by the reality TV star-turned-president. “Les Mis is a great spectacle. And it sounds smart. It’s not just a show, it sounds like it stands for something,” he said.Trump’s takeover of the John F. Kennedy Center faced opposition in some quarters. A historically bipartisan-supported institution, it has never been led by a US president before.Hit show “Hamilton” canceled its run there in response. Trump countered by saying he had “never liked” the rap musical, which is about the birth of the United States and its first treasury secretary.Several key figures at the Kennedy Center — including TV producer Shonda Rhimes who created “Grey’s Anatomy” and musician Ben Folds — resigned from their leadership positions. And the Vances — Usha Vance is one of the new board members — were booed by the Kennedy Center audience at a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra in March.Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center comes amid a broader assault on what he deems “woke” programming at cultural institutions, including the famed Smithsonian museums, as well as universities.

LA stars react to Trump’s migrant crackdown

As President Donald Trump’s military-backed crackdown on immigrants continues in Los Angeles and across the US, celebrities are speaking out against the tactics and what they say are the intolerant views driving them.Some pointed to the gulf between Trump’s apocalyptic descriptions of a city in flames and the reality of a vast and diverse metropolis where largely peaceful protests are limited to a small part of downtown.Here’s what the glitterati had to say:- ‘We have to speak up’ -Many celebrities touched on the disconnect between Trump’s claims about arresting dangerous criminals and raids that appear to be targeting day laborers and factory workers.”When we’re told that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals — great,” LA native and reality star Kim Kardashian wrote on social media. “But when we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up.”The billionaire behind Skims underwear added: “Growing up in LA, I’ve seen how deeply immigrants are woven into the fabric of this city. They are our neighbors, friends, classmates, coworkers and family. “No matter where you fall politically, it’s clear that our communities thrive because of the contributions of immigrants.”Singer Doechii echoed that sentiment in her acceptance speech for best female hip hop artist at the BET Awards on Sunday.”There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order. Trump is using military forces to stop a protest,” the “Anxiety” singer said.”We all deserve to live in hope and not fear”- ‘Not an apocalypse’ -Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel gave a blistering 12-minute monologue from his studio in the heart of Hollywood, opening with footage of tourists enjoying the nearby attractions and a movie premiere.”Not only is it not an apocalypse, they’re having a Disney/Pixar movie premiere right now for ‘Elio’, a movie about aliens — don’t tell Trump, he’ll send the Green Berets in, too,” the comedian said.There is something wrong, he said, with innocent people “being abducted — which is the correct word to use — by agents in masks, hiding their identities, grabbing people off the streets.”- ‘Un-American’ -Grammy- and Oscar-winning musician and producer Finneas, famous for collaborations with sister Billie Eilish and for work on the “Barbie” movie soundtrack, reported being caught up in a heavy-handed police response at a protest.”Tear-gassed almost immediately at the very peaceful protest downtown — they’re inciting this,” the LA native wrote on Instagram.”Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria, called the raids “un-American.” “It’s just so inhumane, hard to watch, it’s hard, it’s hard to witness from afar, I can’t imagine what it’s like to be in Los Angeles right now,” she wrote on Instagram.Longoria added that the protests were a result of “the lack of due process for law-abiding, tax-paying immigrants who have been a part of our community for a very long time.”

Trump to flex muscle with huge military parade

Donald Trump’s dream of hosting a grand military parade in Washington will come true on Saturday when tanks, helicopters and thousands of troops rumble through the capital on the US president’s 79th birthday.Long fascinated with military pomp, Trump has openly envied the military spectaculars seen in cities from Paris to Moscow and Pyongyang ever since his first term as president.The $45 million parade is officially being held to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US army, which commander-in-chief Trump this week called the “greatest fighting force ever to walk the face of the Earth.”But critics say the parade is more about Trump than the army.Protesters have pledged to rally on Saturday against what they call Trump’s growing authoritarianism, at a time when he just ordered troops into Los Angeles after demonstrations against his immigration policy.So-called “No Kings” rallies — named after the idea that America’s Revolutionary War against the British was to free the country from monarchs and autocrats — are planned in dozens of cities, including just outside Washington. But Trump is unrepentant.The president said on a visit to the Fort Bragg army base on Tuesday that “we want to show off a little bit” with the parade, and vowed “very big force” if protesters try to disrupt it.  He made the comments in an extraordinary speech that breached the usual separation of politics and the military and saw Trump goad troops into jeering his opponents.- ‘Big birthday party’ -Trump’s long-cherished parade plans are also rare for a country which has traditionally preferred to avoid displays of military might on its own soil.The parade will be the biggest in Washington since 1991 after the first Gulf War — and before that for the inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1949, the army said.Nearly 7,000 army soldiers will march past historic landmarks including the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and the White House.Roaring overhead will be a fleet of more than 50 helicopters including Apache gunships, giant twin-rotor Chinook transport choppers and sleek Black Hawks.Around 150 military vehicles — including 28 M1A1 Abrams battle tanks, 28 Bradley armored vehicles and 28 Stryker vehicles — will rumble along the route.Following the parade, the army’s Golden Knights parachute team will jump in and present Trump with a US flag.Troops have been moving tanks and other hardware into place throughout the week.”I think the reception here is going to be very warm,” US army Colonel Kamil Sztalkoper told AFP during a media preview. “Who doesn’t like a big birthday party when you’re 250 years old?” – ‘Believe in democracy’ -But the display of American muscle is also a flex of Trump’s own strongman image as commander-in-chief, at the start of a second term when he has been pushing US presidential power further than ever before.Trump has been obsessed with having a parade since his first term as president when he attended France’s annual Bastille Day parade in Paris at the invitation of Emmanuel Macron in 2017.Back then he was put off by the huge cost, then estimated at $92 million, and warnings that heavy tanks could damage Washington’s streets. This time, the army says metal plates will protect the roads.At the time it also sparked comparisons to similar events in autocratic countries like Russia, China and North Korea — comparisons which have resurfaced in his second term.Peter Loge, director of George Washington University’s School of Media, said the American aversion to such displays went back to the earliest days of US independence.”We were founded by a group of merchants and farmers who were tired of a standing army invading their streets in the name of keeping them safe,” Loge told AFP.”We’ve always looked down on grand military parades in Russia across Red Square or in North Korea, because we’re not like that. We’re Americans, and we believe in democracy, not in military shows of force.” Trump’s show of US military might does however come at a time of mounting international tensions.Fears of a Middle East conflict are on the rise as talks on Iran’s nuclear talks wobble and Israel threatens to strike its facilities.

‘Terrifying’: Migrants fret over LA raids, but still look for work

When immigration officers leapt out of unmarked vans and ran towards undocumented men waiting by a Home Depot in Los Angeles, the day laborers scattered, terrified at the prospect of arrest and deportation.”People were hiding under wood, in the trash, wherever they could find a little hole,” said Oscar Mendia, a Guatemalan who estimated 25 people were arrested.”It was like something out of a movie.”The raid was part of an anti-immigration crackdown ordered by President Donald Trump that has seen factories and work sites targeted since Friday, sparking days of angry protests in America’s second biggest city.”It all started here,” Mendia said, pointing to the parking lot where around 20 workers had gathered on Wednesday.Mendia, who has lived undocumented in the United States for 26 years, had never been involved in a raid before, not even during Trump’s first term.”It’s one thing to see it on television,” he said, “But it’s another to experience it firsthand.”- ‘Families to support’ -Stories of migrants being held in crowded cells, unable to speak to family or lawyers before being rapidly deported are frightening, said another man, aged 40, who did not provide a name.But they are not enough to keep these workers away from the parking lot, where they gather in the hope of snagging off-the-books work in construction, farming or manual labor.”It’s difficult, but we have to work, we have families to support,” said the man, who sends most of his money to Honduras to provide for his six children.Mendia, who also used remittances to educate and raise his three children in Guatemala, says men like him have less to fear in this anti-immigration climate.But for the new generation, the situation “is terrifying,” he said.”They come with hope, they come dreaming of a future.” Beside him, a 21-year-old nods nervously. The young man was saved from Friday’s raid because he had already been picked up for a construction project by the time the armed federal agents arrived. On Monday, he almost didn’t come back, but ultimately realized he had no choice.”We need to do it,” he told AFP.- Paying taxes -The men’s stories are echoed in parking lots, car washes and on construction sites all over Los Angeles and throughout the United States.They fled countries devastated by economic and political crises, or by violence, in search of work to support their families.After difficult and dangerous journeys, they work for low salaries, doing the kind of back-breaking jobs many Americans have long since abandoned — and often pay taxes.Undocumented migrants contributed nearly $90 billion to the public purse in 2023, according to an analysis by the American Immigration Council.- ‘Country of immigrants’ -Trump returned to power this year after campaigning on a pledge to conduct the biggest deportation operation in US history.The ramped-up raids this week appear to be part of a push to make do on that promise, and come after White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller reportedly ordered ICE (Immigration Customs and Enforcement) bosses to make at least 3,000 arrests every day.In Los Angeles, a city with large foreign-born and Latino populations, the idea of these masked men swooping has horrified people, many of whom personally know undocumented people.”Why is Donald Trump doing this?” asked a Mexican man who arrived in the United States nearly three decades ago.The man, who asked not to be identified, said it was unfair to go after hard-working people who are just trying to make a living.”Why is he attacking Los Angeles? Because we are a power, because we are the ones who make the economy,” he said,”This country will fall without Latinos.” The migrants of the 21st century might be largely Latinos, but America’s rich history is one of waves of different people coming to these shores.”This is a country of immigrants,” said Mendia, recalling Trump’s own German roots. “Everyone from the president to the person who sweeps the streets.” 

Trump watches ‘Les Miserables’, tale of revolt and oppression

It’s a tale of revolutionary fervor, featuring street protesters manning the barricades against a repressive leader. And watching from the audience was US President Donald Trump.Trump’s appearance at the opening night of the hit musical “Les Miserables” at the renowned Kennedy Center in Washington on Wednesday night could hardly be more politically charged.The 78-year-old Republican recently orchestrated a conservative takeover of the famed arts venue, reportedly prompting some “Les Mis” cast members to boycott the show.The performance of the show, set against the backdrop of revolutionary 19th century France, comes as the United States itself faces fresh turbulence in its second-biggest city. “I couldn’t care less. Honestly, I couldn’t. All I do is run the country well,” Trump told reporters when asked about a boycott as he arrived with First Lady Melania Trump.”And we’re going to have a safe country, we’re not going to have what would have happened in Los Angeles. Remember, if I wasn’t there… Los Angeles would have been burning to the ground.”Trump, who was joined by Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance at the premiere, has recently sent in troops to deal with protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles.California officials accuse him of “dictatorial” behavior and of manufacturing a confrontation by deploying thousands of National Guard troops and US Marines.”I think the irony is probably lost on him,” Peter Loge, director of George Washington University’s School of Media, told AFP.The social injustice portrayed in Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel — coupled with songs such as “Do You Hear the People Sing?” and “I Dreamed a Dream” — has long resonated with audiences around the world. – ‘I love the songs’ -Billionaire Trump, who had announced his decision to attend “Les Miserables” before the Los Angeles protests erupted, says he too has long been a fan. The real estate tycoon has played songs from the show at his rallies and political events. “I love the songs, I love the play,” Trump told Fox News Digital last week.Asked which of the play’s characters he most identified with, however, Trump punted to his wife. “That’s a tough one… you better answer that one, honey,” Trump replied.His attendance is yet another show of strength after installing himself as chairman of the center and replacing the entire board with loyalists in February.Loge said Trump’s presence there was part of a broader effort at image-making by the reality TV star-turned-president. “Les Mis is a great spectacle. And it sounds smart. It’s not just a show, it sounds like it stands for something,” he said.Trump’s takeover of the John F. Kennedy Center faced opposition in some quarters. A historically bipartisan-supported institution, it has never been led by a US president before.Hit show “Hamilton” canceled its run there in response. Trump countered by saying he had “never liked” the rap musical, which is about the birth of the United States and its first treasury secretary.Several key figures at the Kennedy Center — including TV producer Shonda Rhimes who created “Grey’s Anatomy” and musician Ben Folds — resigned from their leadership positions. And the Vances — Usha Vance is one of the new board members — were booed by the Kennedy Center audience at a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra in March.Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center comes amid a broader assault on what he deems “woke” programming at cultural institutions, including the famed Smithsonian museums, as well as universities.