THE CORROSIVE IDEOLOGY OF DONALD JOHN TRUMP

When does a depiction of history turn into a “corrosive

ideology”? When the current administration is working overtime

to erase facts about our nation’s history and foundations. They

want to remove any reminders about the evils of enslavement and

its critical role in the development of his country. We need to say

it repeatedly; there would be no united states without

enslavement. We built this nation. Our labor produced the White

House (or The House that Enslaved People Built), the Capitol,

and even some of the odious monuments to slaveholding

colonialists. This is a history that this President would erase.

The Washington Post reported that an anonymous source

said the administration “has ordered the removal of signs and

exhibits related to slavery at multiple national parks”. This is a

follow up from the President’s March executive order asking the

Interior Department to eliminate information that reflects a “a

corrosive ideology”. The Post reports that the National Park

Service is removing signs that fail to whitewash our nation’s

history. The President has said many times that we talk about

enslavement too much. I say we cannot talk about it often

enough.

Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia is the site of John Brown’s

failed rebellion against enslavement. According to the Post, more

than 30 signs referring to this history, have been flagged for

alteration or removal. This desperate attempt to rewrite history is

our President’s corrosive ideology. He promised to fix the

economy, and he has not. Instead, he has fully immersed himself

in the culture wars, seemingly prioritizing the culture wars over

economic stability.

Many people have seen the iconic photograph, The

Scourged Back, show the back of a man who was beaten so

many times that his back is a painful tapestry of scars. It was

used, years ago, to promote the film, Twelve Years A Slave. A

copy of that photograph has been part of many exhibits about the

Civil War and enslavement. It was exhibited at Fort Pulaski

National Monument in Georgia but has been removed because it

supposedly was part of “corrosive ideology”. Yet the most

corrosive of ideologies is one that cannot stand the truth about

our nation’s history. The so-called Chief Executive Officer of

these United States ought to be more interested in the economy

than in important historic documents. But the corrosive ideology

of this administration has restored Confederate monuments,

attempted to scrub museums of historical reference, and removed

textbooks at the Naval Academy.

This Administration fully understands the importance of

symbolism, of pomp and circumstance. This may be why the

Pr4sidnt would like to rename the Kennedy Center after himself

and add his wife’s name to another section of the Center. This is

why the President will give the murdered conservative activist

Charlie Kirk, a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom. This

is why Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose legal credentials are

highly questionable, says she will “absolutely” target those who use hate

speech, including any negativity toward Charlie Kirk.

The corrosive ideology of this administration is to suppress

or to erase. Erase the photograph, The Scourged Back, because

it makes some people uncomfortable. Suppress words critical of

Charlie Kirk because they aren’t sufficiently deferential to a

provocative activist who invited criticism.

This is a delicate time to talk about Charlie Kirk. I mourn his

murder, am abhorred by the killing of a 31-year old father. It

would be foolhardy to deny the provocative nature of his work, but

a detailed analysis of his legacy is premature – those who choose

to be critical might, for the sake of decorum, share their views

after the man is buried.

Conservatives say they believe in free speech actually

believe in free speech only when conservatives agree with it. A

free speech nation would welcome the exhibit of The Scourged

Back. A free speech nation would not embrace an Executive

Order “Restoring Truth in American History” since the purpose of

that Executive Order is to suppress truth and whitewash history.

This is the corrosive ideology of this administration. Lie,

suppress, deny our nation’s history. And to think we have years

more of this corrosive (to use their word) form of government.

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Dr. Julianne Malveaux is a DC based economist and author. Juliannemalveaux.com