President Trump and General Pershing

This book provides a critical analysis of Donald Trumps mention of General Pershing and his alleged use of bullets dipped in pigs blood to kill 49 out of 50 captured Muslims during the suppression years in the Philippines. The author argues that most observers who heard this fable dismissed it as an inaccurate representation of historical realities that also maligned a great general. Using critiques of both Trump and post-truths, the author argues that instead of being summarily dismissive of these comments, academics, investigative journalists and others ought to follow the US presidents admonition that we study history, but do so in nuanced ways. The author argues that there are times when false renditions of historical events may in fact provide opportunities to revisit contentious pasts, and this book suggests that in place of sanitized military histories, we take this opportunity to provide detailed analyses of the Moro rebellion.