How do you view the emergence of Trump in the USA?

Trump is a response to the decline of US imperialism. He has been moving towards increased repression and fascism. He uses demagogy, especially towards working people, in the desire to make them believe he can “Make America Great again.” He claims that he wants to return manufacturing to the United States, but companies will go to where the greatest profit lies, which is not in the US.

Trump is a continuation of the politics of imperialism, but in the process of decline. He will not be able to reverse this decline, not even with increased repression.

What impact do you think the Trump administration will have on the rights of workers, women, Black people, minorities, and immigrants?

Trump is already whittling away at the rights of workers. He is deporting immigrants without even the semblance of due process, including to countries with reactionary governments such as El Salvador, even for immigrants who have no connection to those countries. He is trying to deport immigrants with permanent residency visas. He is trying to end “birthright citizenship,” which has been in the constitution since the 14th Amendment in 1865, which gave citizenship to freed slaves. He is even using the FBI (internal secret police) against US-born citizens active in the fight for freedom of Palestine. He has fired many thousands of federal workers and is taking away their rights to a union contract. He has fired the acting head of the National Labor Relations Board, which provided some minimal protection for workers’ rights. He has eliminated Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which is supposed to provide for protection of the rights of oppressed nations and nationalities, as well as women.

Some on the Left and among liberals describe the Trump regime as a fascist takeover. What’s your opinion on this characterisation?

Trump is moving towards fascism but not all at once, as this could lead to greater protests. He thinks that if he imposes fascist measures little by little, he can get away with them more easily. However there have already been mass protests, even though many are led by organisations tied to the Democratic Party.

It appears Trump aims to disrupt the Russia-China alliance, do you believe this is feasible?

Trump seems to be aiming to undermine Russia’s alliance with China. He may make tactical overtures to Russia, particularly in Ukraine, where the US has been losing the war. He may make a deal that would allow Russia to keep some of the territory it occupies, in exchange for allowing US investment in other parts of the country. This shows that neither the US nor Russia had any interest in supporting the people of Ukraine, with Russia not even caring about the Russian-speakers in Eastern Ukraine. They both want to get their hands on the resources, mineral and agricultural, of that country. But in the long run that would probably not be sufficient to break Russia from its alliance with China, which it needs for its economic strength, just as China needs Russia for its military strength.

We’ve seen reports of Elon Musk, a capitalist closely tied to Trump, visiting the Pentagon for a briefing on U.S. preparedness for a potential war with China. How do you assess the likelihood of such a conflict?

In the long run, the potential for a US war with China is great. When you have two military-political blocs competing for the redivision of the world, this cannot be achieved by peaceful means. However, this does not mean that such a conflict is imminent, since so far neither side seems to be fully prepared for such a war.

What are your thoughts on Trump’s threats toward Iran?

Trump is making dual gestures towards Iran, negotiating on the one hand and attacking and threatening on the other. Israel seems to want to goad the US into a full-scale war, but that does not mean that it will get its way. Such a war could lead to a total conflagration in the Middle East, and that could probably take place only in the context of a new world war. Israel is not in a position to attack Iran on its own, though it can murder individual military and scientific leaders, as it already has done.

We’ve observed Trump’s approach to allies like Europe, India, Pakistan, and others. Has the U.S. become powerful enough, akin to the UK in its imperial peak, to act unilaterally?

Trump has angered his allies by imposing tariffs on them. He has also angered a few of the NATO countries of Europe by demanding that they take up their share of payments towards NATO, which they are not in a position to do. The anti-war and anti-NATO feeling seems to be considerably higher in Europe than in the US.

How capitalist class in the USA is taking Trump’s tariff war?

Within the U.S., Trump is also angering important sectors of the capitalist class. His vacillating position on tariffs, imposing them one day and withdrawing them the next. This is making it hard for many monopolists to determine a consistent price policy. Since much of the U.S. economy is based on inputs from abroad, excessive tariffs will not only undermine global trade, but also the economy at home. Further, Trump’s erratic foreign policy is also shaking his support from important monopolists.

How are the U.S. Left parties, including your own, responding to the current situation?

There are still many left parties in the US that are acting more like sects than genuine proletarian parties, even though some have better political lines and some have worse. Most of them have a very weak base among the workers, but they do not see in practice the need to build such a base. While many such parties have played an important role in the demonstrations in support of Palestine, they do not always make a serious attempt to connect this with the struggle of US workers and oppressed people.

However, there are groups making an effort to learn how to do this. As an example, both in April and on May Day, there were many unions and mass groups that rallied against Trump’s attacks on democratic rights. Some left groups, instead of holding their own rallies, took part in these rallies with their own slogans, banners and leaflets, including connecting these issues with support of Palestine. Even if the leaders of these rallies were mainly supporters of the Democratic Party, Marxist-Leninists are beginning to learn tactical methods to take part in these rallies without falling into the trap of the Democrats. This can only help to develop the people’s democratic movement.

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