Ang Bayan Editorial: Resist The Savage US Imperialist Monster

Ang Bayan | February 21, 2025

Only a month has passed since Donald Trump took office as president of the United States of America, yet he has gored and thrust at everything around him, like a monster obsessed with claiming everything for his kingdom. By his declarations and actions, Trump has torn away the “spreader of democracy” mask of the US, exposing its true face and nature as an insatiable imperialist power mired in crisis and desperately trying to salvage its declining empire.

Within the US, reflecting the deepening political crisis and the rise of fascist, racist, and ultra-conservative trends, the democratic Trump government is trampling widely on the democratic rights of the American people. At Trump’s command, tens of thousands of government employees have been abruptly laid off under the guise of “austerity.” He has mobilized armed state agencies to violently detain or deport millions of “illegal” immigrants in the US.

In almost every corner of the world, people and nations are facing economic pressures and threats of aggression from US imperialism. Trump is using the imposition of trade tariffs, and the withdrawal or withholding of military and economic aid, against countries he wants to squeeze, subjugate, or bend to his dictates.

Trump has imposed additional tariffs on products from Canada, Mexico and China in an attempt to pressure them into giving him what he wants. At the same time, Trump declared his desire to bring Canada under the US as its 51st state. He also announced plans to take away control of the Panama Canal from Panama, claiming it favors China. Trump is also making noise about his intention to “buy” or occupy Greenland.

Trump has also declared his plan to “take control” and “own” the Gaza Strip, and to expel all Palestinians from their land and homes. This is a blatant violation of the freedom and rights of Palestinians to self-determination. Trump is urging the Zionist state of Israel to resume the bombing of Gaza, in violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Recently, Trump ordered a 90-day suspension of $64 billion worth of programs funded by USAID or the US Agency for International Development. Trump is using the suspension to further pressure underdeveloped countries that rely heavily on USAID programs. Among those being leveraged by Trump are South Africa’s health programs, to push the country to retract condemnation of Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinians, and to prevent it from implementing land reforms that would dismantle the land order of the former apartheid regime.

On Trump’s initiative, the US and Russia began negotiations supposedly to end the war in Ukraine. It has become increasingly clear that this war is a proxy war. Trump is now blaming Ukraine for “starting the war,” when in reality, the US has long used Ukraine to engage with Russia. In Trump’s rapprochement with Russia regarding Ukraine, he seeks to take control of the mineral resources in the region, while creating a rift between Russia and China, for the strategic goal of the US to isolate China.

Under Trump, US military forces continue to establish a significant presence in Asia, particularly around China, and to equip the armed forces of the Philippines and the puppet government of Marcos, to continuously escalate tensions with China.

Fearing that Trump might subject the Philippine government to similar pressures as other countries, the Marcos regime is now scrambling to impress its new master by proving its loyalty to US imperialism. Marcos is further binding the Philippines’ foreign policy and welfare to the interests and geopolitical agenda of his US imperialist master to surround and contain the growing power of imperialist China.

In recent weeks, the Marcos government has whipped up an anti-China hysteria by arresting alleged “spies” from China in the Philippines (even as CIA agents operate freely in the Philippines, like in its downed spy plane in Maguindanao). There have also been continuous shows of “driving away” the “monster” Chinese Coast Guard ship in the West Philippine Sea (while remaining silent when the massive USS Carl Vinson passed through the very territorial waters of the Philippines, entering between Leyte and Mindanao, before stationing in Palawan).

The actions of the Trump government demonstrate the desperation of US imperialism to assert itself as the primary power in the world, despite its strategic decline. It represents the interests of American monopoly capitalists who seek to expand the scope of US influence and control over natural resources, trade routes, and fields of investments in various parts of the world.

Trump’s brutal, violent, and destructive actions are provoking widespread resistance to his rule. Even now, the outrage of American workers and citizens is quickly heightening. Even some courts and government agencies also oppose Trump’s tyranny. The increasing number of rallies across the US is indicative of a brewing giant wave of protests that will surely engulf the Trump regime, sooner or later.

The Filipino people must also act proactively to fight the subservient Marcos puppet regime, oppose US intervention, and oppose efforts to drag the country into conflicts initiated by the US for its own interests, especially against its rival China. Heighten the Flipino people’s spirit of patriotism to advance the people’s war to fight for genuine national freedom, and to end the US imperialist control and domination, which is the root cause of the suffering and hardship of the Filipino people.

Source : https://philippinerevolution.nu/2025/02/21/resist-the-savage-us-imperialist-monster/