With Donald Trump’s return to the imperialist throne as the 47th president of the United States, he brings the threat of even larger wars in various parts of the world, accompanied by the further decline in the living conditions of Americans and the growing shift towards fascism of the US reactionary state.
When he first came to power in 2016-2020, Trump became notorious for his ultra-Right, racist, fascist, anti-democratic, anti-immigrant, an-ti-women, anti-LGBT, and ultra-nationalist policies and actions. He has returned to power after the extreme dissatisfaction of the American people of four years under the Democratic Party amid the ongoing economic crisis and the rising flames of US-ignited wars.
As in the past, Trump rode on the grievances of ordinary citizens on rising prices, low wages, and the greed of large corporations. However, in the end, he fueled anger towards “criminal” immigration and minorities who “steal jobs,” destroy “American values,” as well as against protesters, drug users, and the homeless. Trump’s officials and allies are pushing for Project 2025, a comprehensive reactionary program that pushes for widespread deportation, the dismantling of the Department of Education and other government agencies, cutting corporate taxes, taking away women’s right to abortion, and more.
Trump obscures the root of the crisis of the capitalist system in the US to cover up the fact that he represents the interests of monopoly capitalists who benefit from incentives, tax cuts, and subsidies taken from the pockets of the American people. Trump’s first term saw the accumulation of super profits by big American corporations in finance, commerce, oil, manufacturing of cars, arms, medicine, electronic devices, and more.
Trump pretends to be a “friend of Russia” and claiming he will “end the war in Ukraine in one day,” when in fact he himself pushed for increased military aid to Ukraine, aiming US missiles and other arms at Russia. Under his presidency, Trump imposed economic sanctions on Russia. He also abrogated the US-Russia treaty limiting the number and strength of nuclear arms, to allow the US to resume production of these.
Trump’s statements that he wants to “end the violence” in Gaza and Lebanon are empty talk, when in fact he fully supports Zionist Israel and the use of arms to target Iran. In 2018, he ordered and personally inaugurated the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem, a city that Palestinians claim as the capital of their country. Trump’s secretary of state is a known pro-Zionist and anti-Iran zealot.
Trump’s return to power is expected to cause further escalation of US-China tensions. Trump promised to triple tariffs on Chinese imports (which have more than doubled since 2020) and completely stop importing Chinese products by 2028. Trump’s declaration of a “strong retaliation” against countries “taking advantage” of trade with the US is a direct threat to China, increasing the possibility of direct armed confrontation with China in the future. It can be recalled that under Trump, Operation Pacific Eagle-Philippines was first established, focusing on strengthening the presence of US troops in the Philippines, in line with the US “pivot to Asia” policy.
Trump’s declarations that he will ensure the US military is the “strongest and deadliest” are in line with the US’s push to provoke, fuel, or directly involve itself in wars in various parts of the world. The US is desperate to further expand the scope of its empire, which is slowly declining amidst the unresolved crisis of the global capitalist system. The US aims to control or take away from its rivals markets and sources of oil, important minerals, and other resources needed for production. The US is currently focused on wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and is continuously heating up the situation in Asia by increasing its presence in the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean, and goading its allies in NATO and Japan to strengthen their presence in these waters.
At present, US imperialism is the main source of the threat of bigger wars in various parts of the world. The US is further intensifying its oppression of peoples aspiring national liberation, its sanctions and intervention in countries defending their sovereignty, and its provocation of wars to force its imperialist rivals to bow, and establish itself as the sole superpower in the world. All these contradictions will surely intensify in the coming years as Trump promotes US imperialist hegemonism.
It is only right that peoples around the world, together with the American people, build a united front against US imperialism and its onerous economic and trade policies, its military interference and aggression, and its provocation of war in various parts of the world.
The Filipino people, in particular, must militantly fight against US imperialism and its use of the Philippines as a large military base and launching pad for wars. The people must strongly oppose the US’s instigation of an armed conflict in the South China Sea and dragging the Philippines into its rivalry with China. The Marcos puppet regime must be thoroughly exposed and criticized for its subservience to US imperialism.
More than ever before, it is now necessary to build a broad unity of the Filipino people, and wage all forms of struggle to achieve national and social liberation.
