For the second consecutive year, US President Donald Trump has mobilized the machinery of state-sponsored anti-communism, proclaiming November 1–7 “Anti-Communism Week” in another preposterous attempt to demonize communist ideas and defend the capitalist system.
In a presidential proclamation signed on Election Day, Trump urged Americans to stand firm against threats to the “American way of life” and protect the flame of freedom from what he described as the “darkness of communism.”
The campaign, culminating on November 7, the anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917, is accompanied by public events aimed at vilifying communism. Trump also exploits the policies of the Democratic Party, falsely portraying its defenders of capitalist exploitation as “communists,” while directing his attacks against the revolutionary movement that challenges the foundations of capitalist power.
But what does this celebrated American “freedom” actually mean for millions of working people?
According to the figures cited, 34.5 million Americans, or 10.2% of the population, live below the poverty line, while 13.1% depend on food assistance to survive. More than 745,600 people are officially homeless, including families with children, while countless others living in vehicles and makeshift accommodation remain outside official statistics.
Meanwhile, over 26.7 million Americans have no health insurance whatsoever. An estimated 46% of adults are either uninsured or inadequately insured, facing medical expenses they cannot afford. As a result, 38% are forced to delay or forgo medical treatment because of its cost.
This is the reality behind the grand declarations about American liberty: freedom for monopolies to accumulate enormous profits, while millions of workers face poverty, insecurity, homelessness and unaffordable healthcare.
Trump’s anti-communist crusade cannot conceal the fundamental contradictions of American capitalism. Behind the hysterical denunciations of communism lies the determination of the ruling class to defend a system built on exploitation and the enrichment of a tiny minority at the expense of the working majority.
The specter of communism continues to haunt those whose wealth and power depend on the exploitation of labor.
From In Defense of Communism via This RSS Feed.