Ryhaan Shah
By now the initial shock of Donald Trump winning the US presidency is subsiding and the political pundits are busy with prognostications as to what this means for America and the rest of the world.
Trump’s campaign of hate, bigotry, and the demonising of everyone including Mexicans and Muslims scripted his simple narrative of “Make America Great Again” which resonated with the white working class. They decoded and understood the message which came with Trump’s promise to build a wall at the Mexican border, to ban Muslims, and to bring back their jobs which had been shipped overseas.
He played to their fears and prejudices and they responded to the narrative which implied that there was a once golden age when everything was great for Americans and that this greatness has been lost to immigrants who are criminals and who have taken their jobs.
His supporters understood him clearly, and that the Ku Klux Klan endorsed Trump’s candidacy was no surprise. He did reject their endorsement when they too were simply responding to the Trump narrative and white supremacists are emboldened enough by his election to have started an online campaign of harassing Democrats in order to make them suicidal.
While Trump’s message spoke to his followers’ fears, it increased those of the other half the country. He gained the Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency but his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by a slim margin, reflecting the deep divide in America.
Young Democrats have taken to the streets in several cities to protest Trump’s election and have made over his campaign slogan to: “Make America Hate Again.” A few protests have grown riotous and the response from Trump’s surrogates that his victory speech, which spoke about uniting the country, cancels out the 18 months of his hate-filled campaign is very disingenuous.
In her gracious concession speech, Clinton reminded Americans of the democratic values of diversity, inclusiveness, and equality on which the country was founded. The US has stood as an example to the rest of the world as to how these values translate into progress and development.
But there is now great uncertainty in the US and abroad over Trump’s promised change. America’s allies are unsure about the future of NATO, and they are also unsure as to how Trump’s demagoguery and his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin will affect US foreign policy.
Their uncertainty is underlined by Trump’s own remarks on the campaign trail that he would “bomb the s**t out of ISIS” and that he loves war.
Perhaps, he was simply playing to his supporters who view hawkishness and war mongering as strength. Perhaps, now that he will be fully briefed on US top secret information, he might begin to understand the complexity of world politics and the importance of maintaining the status quo vis a vis America’s alliances in Europe and Asia.
Perhaps, the weight of the job as the leader of the free world will have a sobering effect. Much will depend on who he chooses as his aides and advisors and, also, whether he will listen to their advice.
Trump’s victory speech was scripted. Reading from a teleprompter, he can sound reasoned and reasonable. However, his advisors will not be able to script every moment of the next four years. Off script, the real Trump emerges.
In that infamous “Access Hollywood” tape, he boasted that as a TV star he “can do anything” and went on to describe the grossest kind of grabbing and groping of women.
America voted for this man to be their president but here’s the rub: the anti-Trump protesters vow to make sure that he is a one-term president and the Democratic party is already looking to new leadership for their 2020 campaign.
For those elections, both the Republicans and Democrats will field fresh candidates. Trump might run for re-election but his success will depend on his performance in office and, given his character, half of America already expects that he will continue his vengeful, hateful divisiveness through his policies.
In four years, the US will have a chance at a do-over and could elect someone with the decency and principled character that most want in a leader. This is what makes America great again and again.
And this is what makes Guyana a continuing hellhole: at our next elections, we will again have the choice between two tired parties led by tired, old men who are immured in the politics of hate and division, and we will continue to vote for them as if our votes matter.
