From outside the United States, it has become increasingly difficult to reconcile the image America once projected with the spectacle it now offers the world. The country that long styled itself as a champion of liberty, democracy, and the rule of law increasingly resembles something darker: a place of masked enforcers, frightened citizens, brazen propaganda, and elites who sneer at the consequences of their own power. One Saturday in particular offers a stark snapshot of what the US looks like today.
That morning in Minneapolis, ICE agents shot a protesting nurse, Alex Pretti, who posed no immediate threat. He never raised the firearm he was legally carrying, a gun for which he held a license.
Within hours, the incident was met not with sober reflection from those in power, but with blatant falsehoods at the highest political level. The administration’s response followed a now-familiar script: deny, distort, and inflame. Truth was not merely bent but trampled, while loyalists rushed to justify the killing of a civilian by federal agents.
That same evening, hundreds of miles away in Washington, many of those responsible for shaping this response gathered at the White House for a champagne-soaked premiere of a glossy propaganda film about the president’s wife. The contrast was grotesque. A man lay dead after a confrontation with masked officers in civilian clothing, while political elites and oligarchs celebrated themselves under crystal chandeliers. If politics is theatre, this was farce performed on a grave.
For the rest of the world, the optics are devastating. When Donald Trump once referred to other nations as “shithole countries”, it was widely condemned as racist and crude. Yet increasingly, observers abroad cannot avoid the uncomfortable conclusion that the United States now exhibits many of the same traits it once claimed to despise: arbitrary violence, cultish loyalty to power, and a political culture hostile to accountability. The Minneapolis shooting was followed swiftly by scapegoating within the system itself. Gregory Bovino, a border patrol “commander at large” with the aesthetic and demeanor of a movie warlord, was quietly removed from his post and reportedly sidelined from public communication. The ritual was familiar: protect the architects of policy while sacrificing a visible enforcer. This is the logic of regimes that value loyalty over law. Those at the top remain untouchable; those below are expendable.
Equally striking is the visual inversion now playing out on America’s streets. Federal agents increasingly operate masked, often in plain clothes, while protesters and civilians adopt military-style gear to protect themselves. It is a reversal that would have once been unthinkable in a liberal democracy. The state hides its face; citizens armor themselves against it. From the outside, this looks less like law enforcement and more like the aesthetics of internal occupation.
The political reactions were no less surreal. Among the most astonishing responses to Pretti’s killing came from the National Rifle Association, which reminded Americans that carrying a licensed firearm is constitutionally protected and called for a full investigation. When even the NRA appears more concerned about civil liberties than the president’s base, the ideological compass has clearly spun off its axis. The movement that once claimed to worship the Second Amendment now seems comfortable with gun rights being overridden – so long as the violence serves power. Meanwhile, the White House premiere told its own story. The film, a so-called documentary about the president’s wife, was purchased by Amazon for an extraordinary $40 million, with an additional $35 million spent on marketing. No serious observer believes such a price reflects artistic or commercial value. It reads instead as a gift: a tribute paid by a billionaire to remain in favor with the regime. History offers many examples of oligarchs funding vanity projects for those in power, not because they want to, but because they must.
The presence of Apple CEO Tim Cook at the event added another layer of hypocrisy. Days earlier, Cook had posted lofty reflections on Martin Luther King Jr.’s commitment to justice. Then, without apparent discomfort, he attended a celebration hosted by an administration presiding over the killing of a peaceful protester. This is how democratic decline is normalized – not only by strongmen, but by corporate leaders who prefer access over principle. Perhaps the most tragic figures in this drama are not the oligarchs or the officials, but the ordinary supporters rushing to defend the indefensible. Few sights are more dispiriting than citizens arguing that it is good and necessary for law enforcement to shoot civilians who pose no threat. This is not strength or patriotism; it is submission. When loyalty to authority replaces moral judgment, democracy rots from the inside.
The consequences extend beyond America’s borders. Tourism from traditionally friendly countries is reportedly declining. Allies who once admired the United States now watch with unease. Trump’s repeated contempt for NATO, including his dismissal of European sacrifices in wars fought alongside the US, has left deep scars. It is worth remembering that NATO’s collective defense clause has been invoked only once – by the United States after September 11. European soldiers fought and died in America’s wars. Today, they are repaid with insults and historical amnesia.
Many abroad still love America. They love its people, its culture, its ideals – at least as they once were articulated. But affection does not require blindness. From the outside, the image is now one of masked agents, terrified citizens, self-enriching elites, and a political class more interested in spectacle than justice. This is not merely an American tragedy; it is a global one, because the actions of the United States still ripple outward.
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