China’s state-run Global Times on Thursday declared the “partisan infighting drama” over the FBI raid on former President Donald Trump’s residence was proof the United States has degenerated into a “banana republic.”
As usual, the Chinese propagandists were merely riffing on verbiage they skimmed from American social media — they even dropped scare quotes around “banana republic” every time it was used, without mentioning whom they were quoting.
Some critics of the FBI raid have said it reminds them of politicized investigations and abuses of power from a “Third World” dictatorship or “banana republic.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) was among the most prominent voices to use the “banana republic” comparison, and because DeSantis is a constant focus of unfriendly media attention himself, banana-flavored flame wars are raging across social media.
The Global Times professed itself suspicious of the FBI action, which “makes external observers on U.S. affairs easily speculate that the investigation into Trump and the raid of his home are really aimed at influencing the outcome of the midterm elections, discrediting Trump and hindering him from running in the 2024 presidential election.”
Having said that, the Chinese Communists also dinged Trump for adding “extra comedy color to this drama” by trying to “turn the FBI’s raid to his benefit” in fundraising emails.
The Global Times gleefully anticipated more chaos to come:
Analysts believe that the search on Trump’s home will open Pandora’s box – the Democrats will be revenged in the same way after they step down and the US partisan battle is losing its bottom line. “This is possible. There will be a more vicious competition such as hunting down opponents through judicial means,” said Xin Qiang, deputy director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University. He noted that this will lead to further division in politics or even society. “It cannot be ruled out that some other US presidents may also face constant lawsuits after stepping down in the future,” Xin told the Global Times.
This isn’t the political ecology that a healthy power is supposed to have. In fact, the US has degraded into a “banana republic.” The search on Trump’s home further steps on the accelerator of US political degeneration and decline.
The US itself is sick. Although it’s still a major power with a strong economy, military and a domineering diplomacy, it has serious political, economic, social and legal problems. The intensifying political division and partisan battle have led to a major crisis in the US at all levels.
Politicized prosecutions are the norm in China, with a “justice system” that passingly resembles the legal procedures in civilized nations, but since China is a murderous one-party tyranny, there are no “partisan” disagreements of the sort that made the Global Times predict the end is nigh for America.
The Global Times predicted other nations would increasingly prefer to deal with the orderly tyranny of Beijing than America’s fractious democracy.
“The U.S. has completely destroyed its image as described by the political elites. When there is no partisan mutual trust left, how can the rest of the world still believe the U.S.?” the Communist paper chortled.
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