No Kings, No Thrones, No Crowns… No Problem

The United States of America is undergoing a rather brilliant innovation right now, a federal shutdown. Essentially, nothing that is run by the Government is functioning and indefinitely, as the Trump administration – currently in the fourth shutdown under Trump (a presidential record) – haggles with the opposition over the allocation of funds under the federal budget. I say ‘brilliant’ because I can only dream of such a thing in the United Kingdom, imagining all the damage that would not be done if our Government were to be paralysed for a few weeks.

Joking aside, it is not great news for federal employees, which includes the armed forces. Before arriving in DC, I spent a week at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where my son-in-law is seconded from the British Army for two years. He is being paid, as his salary comes from the United Kingdom, but his military colleagues – who are paid fortnightly – are not being paid. There is a certain amount of hardship among the lower ranks; however, when the shutdown is over, they will receive it all as back pay. But my son-in-law works with many veterans who return to work on US army bases after retiring from service. They are not being paid and will receive no back pay. Nevertheless, over in Missouri, they are Trump supporters regardless. As one poster extolling the virtues of Donald Trump proclaimed, he is ‘Pro Guns, Pro God, Pro Life’.

Which brings me to DC, where I have spent the weekend. Businesses are functioning normally, but the Washington Mall is eerily quiet, with the Smithsonians and all government buildings firmly closed. Absolutely nobody is permitted to enter these buildings, and, walking back to our hotel past one of the Federal Tax buildings, water was gushing from a room high up and pouring onto the street, causing a small flood. Clearly, there was a plumbing problem which was not going to be fixed until the shutdown lifted.

Our Uber driver from Dulles had warned us that “big trouble” was expected in DC on Sunday, as thousands of anti-Trump protesters were going to descend on the city. The National Guard were on the streets to maintain order and trouble was expected. With high hopes of witnessing something memorable, I went out running very early in the morning and there were pockets of National Guard at some of the street corners. But I was a little too early in the morning for the protesters.

Around 10:30 am, my wife and I headed to the White House and were joined on the way by handfuls of protesters. Predominantly white and female, these did not look like the sort of people who were being affected financially by the federal shutdown. They mainly looked like students and carried flags and homemade placards. The slogan ‘No King’ appeared on most of the posters. The concept of Donald Trump acting like a king is an obsession with the protesters, who variously proclaim ‘No King, No Throne, No Crown’ or all three.

As we neared the White House, it was clear that nobody was getting within a country mile of the building. There was a modest police presence, but the most prominent feature was the miles of black fencing surrounding all monuments and the gardens near the White House. It was not clear where the protesters were going, but it was also clear that not much was happening, so we decided to return in the afternoon.

We passed the White House around 2 pm and there was absolutely nothing happening. A few protesters who, we assumed, were returning from a rally were walking the streets with their placards but nothing else. Then, as we approached Constitution Street, we could hear a massive noise from behind the International Trade Centre. There was shouting and drumming, musical instruments were blaring and we could see a large crowd up ahead. As we approached, we were stopped by two security guards asking us to make a detour. I asked what was going on, only to be informed that it was a wedding, an Indian wedding. There was not a protester in sight. Some National Guard were watching proceedings and laughed at my suggestion that the wedding guests were noisier than the protesters.

There were a few hysterical women shouting anti-Trumpisms further along Pennsylvania Avenue. We decided to investigate the Mall, where, again, we encountered handfuls of protesters, mainly women, with placards. It was only then that we realised that this was the protest. There was no mass gathering, no storming of the White House; it was just folks wandering about with posters.

Reaching the Capitol end of the Mall, the police and National Guard presence was intense. All roads at the Capitol end of Pennsylvania Avenue were blocked. Police were snoozing in vehicles, standing around chatting. One chap was even engrossed in a novel. It is safe to say that police and National Guard far outnumbered protesters. It is also safe to say they had a very easy day.

All that I can take from Sunday’s proceedings in DC is that Trump Derangement Syndrome is alive and well. I am here to attend the annual meeting of the American Academy of Nursing, which saw fit to make me a Fellow in 2007. This is just about the wokest organisation in the world. One of my colleagues attended a session where a paper was presented on behalf of some other academics who, attendees were told, were too afraid to come to DC in case they were arrested and deported due to their (legal) immigrant status. Other academics of a woke persuasion from outside the United States conveyed apologies for much the same reason, fearing that they would, without any foundation to their claims, be prevented from entering and arrested at immigration.

It strikes me, as it is striking the world, that Donald J. Trump gets things done and that, above all, is what frightens the Left the most. For example, he said he would clear the homeless from the streets of DC, and he has. The occasional beggar lingers in a doorway, but the tent cities that sprung up on patches of grass and intersections around the city are completely gone. It is now possible to walk a mile without – literally – stepping over rough sleepers who – literally – block the pavements. I asked an Uber driver where they had all gone. He shrugged his shoulders, suggesting that he did not really care.

Dr Roger Watson is Academic Dean of Nursing at Southwest Medical University, China. He has a PhD in biochemistry. He writes in a personal capacity.