The intensity of the movement against the Trump administration has reached such a level that the Democratic Party, initially at a loss on its strategy, has finally come round to electing leadership with Thomas Perez, a Hispanic as chairman and Eric Ellison, a Muslim of African American origin as deputy chairman. Bernie Sanders is already elected as the Chairman, Outreach of the Democratic Party. This trio with firm commitment to the causes favourable to the underprivileged and 99 per cent of the Americans, is expected to collaborate with the non party mass movement to impart a new dimension to the anti-Trump mobilization. Everybody is talking of socialism and thanks to Bernie Sanders, after a long time, the younger sections in US are engaged in intense debate on how to go about in replacing the Trump government with a real progressive agenda. The US Communist Party which strongly supported Bernie Sanders in tHe Democratic Party contest against Hillary Clinton, is playing the crucial role of unifier of the anti-Trump forces and the whole objective of the US communists is now to ensure that the far left groups do not jeopardize the all out unity by taking sectarian positions.

Jacobin is a leftwing magazine in USA and it has taken an active role in the current mass movement. Jacobin Editor Bhaskar Sunkara says that though this is a bad time for the world and the USA as a result of Trump presidency, but the opportunities for the American left are immense as the neo liberal sections of the Democratic Party have discredited themselves and they are getting isolated from the current anti-Trump mass movement. Sunkara then says that the American movement has now the potential to build a majority during the next four years and that has to be left oriented. He observes that there is a mass discontent but not just with Trump, it is with the political class in general and this has led to a broad, populist anti establishment mood. Trump was able to lap that at superficial level but since his real colour is coming out, it will be easier for the Left to capitalize on this anti-establishment mood and install a government that will be pro-people. Then Sunkara explains that the mood in the country is such at the moment that if we had a left alternative, that would be enough to even win the White House in 2020.

Sunkara’s colleague Robert Brenner, a professor at UCLA says that presently, the Left has an opening of the sort that it has not had in memory. The political leadership of the Democratic Party may not want to depend on mass action from below to oppose Trump but they have been put in a terrible situation and the ground reality may lead the new Democratic Leadership to be a part of the widespread anti-Trump movement that is also against the domination of Wall Street to which many big shots of Democratic Party are connected. Sanders supporters believe that the new leadership of the Democratic Party will be out of bounds of Wall Street and the Perez-Ellison team along with Sanders will actively collaborate with the current peoples movement to impart it a positive direction based on a progressive programme which Sanders has been advocating for long.

The US Communist Party is an active partner of the peoples coalition that is emerging in the USA. Their years of silent work for spreading socialism, is yielding dividends with active cooperation from Sanders.US CP chairman John Bachtell has been most supportive of Clinton during the last Presidential campaign and he has been consistently writing that Trump as a president is not just dangerous for the USA, he is dangerous for the whole world. He has just written in the Party mouthpiece, People’s World that there is no sugarcoating it. The election of Donald trump as president along with a Republican Senate and House, was a tremendous defeat with far reaching consequences that will ripple for years to come. But at the same time he reminds that defeats are part of life and struggle and they should not lead to paralysis. What is urgently needed now is unity So he suggests that every conceivable movement and ally prepared to defend social advances and democratic reforms must be mobilized starting with the labour led peoples movement, Black Lives Matter, climate justice groups, the LGBT community and women in alliance with the Democratic Party and those inspired by Bernie Sanders campaign.

As the US communist leader sees it, one of the first things a right wing government often does after capturing power is to go after the labour movement. Because of their organization and ability to initiate collective action, unions become the first targets and there will be a major assault on labour rights. He says that Trump’s reactionary policy will unfold in foreign affairs as well including withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord and the Iran Nuclear Agreement. According to Bachtell, the new balance of forces will usher in instability and unpredictability while aggravating class, racial and social tensions. Then the veteran Communist leader observes fascism does not come all at once, but in steps and stages. To stop it, the beast must be resisted at every turn.

The American nation is now deeply polarized and Trump assumes office as the most reviled and unpopular president in US history. Over half the electorate voted against him. Public opinion on all the key issues is against him. Deep internal divisions beset the Republican Party. A rejuvenated Democratic Party with a progressive platform is in a position to meet the challenge of the Trump regime. There may be number of occasions when the Trump policies implementation will lead to widest possible opposition and protests having the potential of building massive unity of people including those who voted for Trump. These disgruntled frustrated Trump voters may be the allies of the Democratic Party in the coming days when the battle for policies will be really fought.

The Communist Party of USA is the biggest defender of the broadbased unity including the new leadership of the Democratic Party. Bachtell says that the present situation is opportune but the unity of the masses in action, has to be maintained at all costs. What is required is the broadest unity in the defence of democratic norms, institutions and rights. He says that the American people have to keep fighting for that cherished vision of the inclusive, just and peaceful America and world “we hold so dear”. The long battle for restoring the real American values and imparting it further progressive direction has started and American Left led by Sanders and the US Communist Party are leading that. (IPA Service)