ANALYSIS: The Padilla situation ‘explains why political violence is becoming more accepted … particularly on the far right’
A pair of political science professors are not happy with the way the Trump administration has handled recent protests against some of its policies.
Boise State University’s Charlie Hunt believes the “forcible removal” of Democratic California U.S. Senator Alex Padilla from Dept. of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s June 12 press conference (pictured) “signals a dangerous shift in American democracy.”
Hunt, who researches “U.S. Congress, congressional elections, partisanship, and representation” according to his faculty page, says in The Conversation that “what stood out” most to him regarding the incident was the “aggressiveness” with which Padilla was handled.
“We do not ever see something like this happen to members of Congress and particularly members of the Senate,” Hunt (pictured) says. “This is also a real turn in terms of the completely autocratic way in which Department of Homeland Security staff responded to the incident. ”
Contrary to the administration’s claims that Padilla did not identify himself, Hunt notes those were the “first words out of [Padilla’s] mouth.” (The video to which Hunt links appears to show either Padilla saying “hands off, hands off” before stating his identity, or a security guy saying “hands up, hands up.”)
Hunt says the incident was an example of “negative partisanship,” which is driven by a “sort of seething hatred for the other political party.”
He added that “this helps explain why political violence is becoming a more accepted form of political speech, particularly on the far right.”
However, as noted by the North State Journal, although Padilla does ID himself in various videos of the incident, DHS officials said he had been “acting erratically” and was “not wearing the security pin that members of Congress are required to wear to confirm they are who they say they are.”
MORE: 10th year gender studies student worries Trump will deport her before she graduates next year
Also in The Conversation this past week, the University of Connecticut’s Jeremy Pressman claims the recent “No Kings” protests against Trump’s “authoritarianism” were “largely peaceful,” and says those involved in the April “Hands Off” protests claimed they were just “protecting American democracy.”
Trump’s response is what’s concerning for Pressman; the president’s use of terms like “troublemakers, agitators, [and] insurrectionists” are “reminiscent of his harsh condemnation” of 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests, he says.
When leaders want to concentrate executive power and establish an autocracy, where they rule with absolute power, protests against those moves could lead to a mass rejection of the leader’s plans. That is what national protest groups like 50501 and Indivisible are hoping for and why they aimed to turn out millions of people at the No Kings protests on June 14.
But while the Trump administration faces risks from protests, it also may see opportunities.
Protests can serve as a justification for a nascent autocrat to further undermine democratic practices and institutions.
In addition, Pressman (pictured) says “autocrats” like Trump will attempt to “politicize” institutions like the military, such as the historically “rare” move of sending in the National Guard to “contain the protests” in Los Angeles.
Trump’s “disregard” of LA mayor Karen Bass’ and Governor Gavin Newsom’s objections to the National Guard deployment hasn’t happened in 60 years, the professor notes. Then, President Johnson sent in the Guard to protect civil rights activists in Alabama over Governor George Wallace’s opposition.
MORE: Yale dean emails everyone anti-Trump essay: ‘I know you share my concern’
IMAGE CAPTION & CREDIT: California U.S. Senator Alex Padilla is detained at Kristi Noem’s press conference; @LarryBrockJr/X. INTERIOR IMAGES: Boise State U., U. Connecticut