Contributed by Jim Hayes

As crisis after crisis mounts up, Donald Trump has found his hold on the White House becoming increasingly shaky, and he is making plans to stay there.

If he can get away with it, there will be no presidential election this year.

He began preparing the ground weeks ago, complaining that the proper election result will be overturned by ‘fake votes.’ And he said will refuse to resign if he loses because of these votes .

In a new twist, he is now calling on the election to be postponed. There is still the matter of the ‘fake votes’ claim in relation to the universal mail in because of the pandemic restrictions. The bad economic news just released, provides another opportunity. The economy plunged by almost 33 percent, investment spending by 27 percent, and unemployment by 14.7 percent in the last quarter. Trump says that this is not a good time for an election.

In sum, economic crisis, the handling of the Coronavirus crisis, the ongoing mass movement sparked by the killing of George Floyd by police, have shifted the political ground in the United States.

Polls say that Trump is isolated and has no chance of getting the votes in November.

This is not only about Trump though. The maverick came to the presidency as the new political face of a Wall Street, responding to the failing credibility its traditional political faces. There was a mood for change. Donald Trump was put up as the anti-politician poster boy, and the rest is history.

At the beginning, Trump railed against Wall Street. But information leaking out since, has revealed substantial donations to his campaign from Wall Street heavies, and everything he has done since, has been for their benefit.

Mourning in America

Video from The Lincoln Project

Donald Trump would not be where he is, without the backing of this rich and powerful elite. There also an army of functionaries across the state and military that are part of the block.

Trump’s political base among the frightened ultra-Christian, white supremacist, and middle America, is important. They are prepared to be his foot soldiers. They may be a minority, but they are loud, increasingly violent, and urge their leader to be the strong man. To them, this is a revolution to rebuild the American empire, and to hell with the niceties of elections.

Whether Donald Trump moves to stage a coup or not, depends on whether these forces stay together and allow him to get away with it. Their capacity to do so is uncertain. It all depends on how the situation unravels between now and 3 November.

This may not be the sole cause for turning up the heat on China. Moves towards this new cold war began since the start of this presidency back in 2016. But the timing of the new escalation is ominous. It could prove to be the final ingredient that will provide Trump with the opportunity to grab executive power.

Sounding the war trumpets is an old trick to divert attention from real problems. Get enough people to blame someone else for everything, and to drape the flag over their shoulders, they can be misled to gladly put up with anything, as they march to the battle. This is the purpose behind Donald Trump’s divisive political style.

The other side of the United States is that many are coming to a position that they can no longer tolerate the way things are. They call for change. The Democrats are not really listening. They too are tied to Wall Street and have chosen Wall Street connected Joe Biden to challenge Trump.

The electoral process is being contained within the elite, and a large part of the United States is moving in a different direction. Many see little point in voting. Some want the whole edifice to be torn down. The falling fortunes of so many, are driving others to the same conclusion.

Unrest rises and political instability along with it. This is why big numbers continue to be on the streets and keep on being there, in the face of water cannon, gas, rubber bullets, stun grenades, ambushes and arrests.

The scale of the Coronavirus death count, rising hunger of those who have been left without noting, the loss of hope and rising anger are adding to the instability. And the situation is going to get worse.

This is what may propel the elite into moving towards dictatorship. It all depends on the balance of forces. Should it happen, the implications do not only concern the United States. It will infect the global political situation.

Australia, which has been tied so thoroughly to the Donald Trump wagon will not remain unscathed. The form of our political elite has been all the way with the USA.