Violence the windfall of deep-rooted causes that US refuses to address: China Daily editorial

If local governors fail to quell the violence that has erupted nationwide, the US president has vowed to deploy the military to "quickly solve the problem for them". But while that might stop the "rioting and looting" he spoke of, that will not address the deep-lying problems that have been revealed by the killing in Minnesota of George Floyd by a police officer who has now been charged with murder.

However, while pointing fingers at the "angry mobs" that have drowned out the righteous cries of peaceful protesters and pledging that he will answer violence with violence, the US leader made no mention of the root causes of the unrest that is rattling the nation.

By portraying the protests as the acts of anarchists, arsonists, looters, criminals and rioters, the US leader painted a broad brush of denigration over those who are airing genuine grievances about the use of excessive force by the police and against the institutionalized racism in the country.

By calling himself an "ally of peaceful protesters", the US leader therefore unequivocally told the protesters calling for uprooting racism in the country's law enforcement that they cannot count on him to make, or even prompt, any change.

In other words, although he labels himself as a president of law and order, the law and order he is promising is only more of the same excessive force that has triggered the current unrest. He has promised to "dispatch thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel and law enforcement officers", but not a word has passed his lips about addressing the institutional racism, economic disempowerment and disenfranchisement that have fueled the protests.

The demonstrations have already persisted for days across the country, and his miss-the-point speech has simply driven home the fact that, despite his claim that "George will not have died in vain", his administration is unwilling to help those it views as being on the wrong side of the color divide in the US.

Unlike the chaos that ensued because of its tardy and muddled response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a response that has made the country the worst-hit by the novel coronavirus outbreak, Washington is struggling to pass the buck this time, hence the blame that is now falling on state governors.

Although he said that the US needs creation, cooperation, security, healing and justice, and this was his administration's mission, his administration has failed to deliver. Instead, it has been destructive both at home and abroad, displaying contempt for others, and fostering anarchy, hatred and chaos.

"By far, our greatest days lie ahead," he said. But the way things are at the moment those days seem a long way in the future, as under his leadership the country is slipping further and further away from greatness.