Donald Trump’s sensational triumph over the establishment in the form of the Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party reveals much more about the schism between the rulers and their subjects worldwide. The sheer arrogance of the Biden administration – under which Harris serves as Vice President – has been rightly shown the door from the White House and Washington itself. Their penchant to lecture the electorate, instead of properly engaging with and finding each other, has finally necessitated their ejection from power.
Traditionally a party associated with the poor, or the masses, the Democratic Party in the US has steadily drifted away from its base. Today, the party prides itself as home to the college educated. Veteran democrat Bernie Sanders, always left-leaning, summed it well when he lamented that his party has paid the price for “abandoning the working the class”.
Indeed, the return of Trump can be analysed from many angles. He has picked up from where the Democrats have left off, winning their endorsement of the ordinary folks across the length and breadth of the US. As the Democrats elected to campaign on painting Trump as a threat to democracy, citing the need to preserve culture and tradition a la “college educated” – Trump campaigned on the bread-and-butter issues. Among the key issues Trump chose to focus on where the economy, and immigration.
In contrast, the Democrats hammered on painting Trump as an anti-abortionist, believing that the message would woo millions of women voters to their party. It was not to be. Ordinary Americans, like normal human beings, are preoccupied with the bread-and-butter issues such as where their next meal would come from. They worry about employment, security of tenure and better life-chances, among others.
Attempts by the democrats to project Trump as an antithesis to their view of civilization boomerang spectacularly. The voters chose the one the mainstream media had vilified and constantly described him as felony unworthy of the highest office in the land. They sought to remind the voters about January 6 “insurrection”, which their blame on Trump’s questioning of the 2020 election outcome won by Joe Biden.
Amidst all the brouhaha, the voters in their droves flocked to Trump, a clear registration of their gross disapproval of the current lot in the Oval Office. African-American men in large numbers rejected Harris, who had believed that race would be a determinant factor in the choice between Trump and herself. The Latino’s abandoned the Democratic Party en masse, despite continuous efforts by the party to paint Trump as a racist.
The white working class, once the mainstay of the Democratic Party, once the mainstay of the party, also left to endorse Trump as the 47th US president. This will cement Trump in the annals of American history. He is the first in over 113 years to make such a sensational return to office, more so when the dice was so heavily loaded against him. A string of charges failed to damage Trump’s standing in the eyes of the voters. They chose the lesser devil, if not the devil they know.
The US elections are understandably newsworthy worldwide. America is the world’s only remaining superpower since the end of the Cold War. The US economy is the world’s largest, and Washington’s foreign policy is crucial in that when America sneezes the rest of the world catches the cold.
But there are ample reasons to rejoice over the return of Trump despite the dread that others feel, particularly in Europe. Trump has steadfastly stood against the global wars. He has vowed to end the war in Ukraine sooner than many expect. This is good news for the rest of the international community. The Ukraine war has been credited with the skyrocketing of food prices and food insecurity. Its end, particularly through a negotiated settlement, would benefit the rest of humanity.
Russian President Putin has joined a chorus of world leaders in congratulating Trump on his historical return, a political triumph like no other in contemporary history. This bodes well for the possibility of dialogue over the Ukraine conflict. The two leaders are clearly not averse to communicating, and Trump has already indicated his willingness to engage with his Russian counterpart.
It is in China and the Middle East where I worry much about the US foreign policy under Trump. The blind loyalty to Israel is a recipe for disaster. Tel Aviv is not, and cannot be above international law. The annihilation of the Palestinians and Lebanese people under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policy of collective punishment sow the seeds of long-term divisions than serving as a solution of any kind.
As Bill Clinton once told George W Bush on the eve of the invasion of Iraq in 2003: “You can’t kill all your enemies.” It is therefore my deep prayer that through Trump 2.0, less war mongers and more peace makers would fill the White House. Trump himself has declared that he regards himself as a man of peace, and how I wish he could prove himself in that regard.
Additionally, there would be no wisdom in confrontation with China. As President Xi Jinping said as he congratulated Trump this week, and I paraphrase: “We should pursue a win-win cooperation based on the notion of a shared future. War will benefit no one.”
As the world braces for Trump’s second coming, we should not expect too much good for Trump is no Messiah. However, one hopes that he would serve the world a lot better than during his first term when his presidency was cantankerous and unpredictable.
Lastly, I hope Trump will order NATO to calm down on its war talk against the Kremlin. Biden and Harris, NATO’s chief protagonists, are now history, rejected by their own people that they had neglected whilst fanning the flames of conflict in faraway places.
