Tag: Trump

He has come blowing in on a bemused world like an ill wind from outer space. In the end nobody was quite sure how it happened, because everybody, almost certainly including the principal himself  – believed that this was a dream that would soon go away, an episode in the new-fangled genre of ‘Reality Show’ which would soon separate itself from ‘real’ reality and allow everybody to go back to business as usual after a thorough scare, and a good laugh.

And what a laugh that was going to be from those who knew it all – the pundits who declaimed confidently on CNN and all the mainstream media of the world. The pollsters who contended that a Trump win was not only sociologically inconceivable but also mathematically impossible. Only the media of the ‘lunatic right’ of the political landscape –  such as Breitbart , believed Trump would win, and loudly proclaimed so. But they were also the people who believed the United Nations would try to seize the American hinterland by attacking in ‘big black helicopters’ – a reason why people should keep their guns at the ready. Nobody paid them any attention. Well, nobody, except the thoroughly convinced.

‘The Donald’ was an elephant. Any description of him is automatically coloured by the perspective of the viewer. A bully. A misogynistic narcissist. A racist. A loudmouth – all bluster and no substance. A tax-evading crook who had perfected the art of beating the system and staying out of jail. A man who had no language, whose self-expression was down to the cryptic, telegramic prattle of a five year old, populated with incomplete sentences. His favourite medium was the 140 character message on Twitter.

Since the man was such a no-hoper on the small issues – language, character, personal morality, it seemed hardly worth anyone’s while, said the experts, to weigh him on the big issues. What big issues could such a small, damaged man stand for?

They were wrong. The big issues – first tentatively, then inexorably, tipped the balance, such that by the time this piece is read, Donald J Trump will have spent his first few days in office as the 45th President of the United States of America.

When the question was asked of the Christian Pentecostals, one of the pillars of Trumpian support, why they, who preached righteousness, would support such a manifestly unrighteous man – he groped ladies, used foul language, and showed disdain for his fellow man, they found biblical precedents for their choice. God had been known to use flawed men – and women, to achieve high purpose on earth. The prophet Hosea had been compelled by God to marry a prostitute, beside whom the sometime nude model Melania Trump would be a saintly choir girl. The heathen King Artaxerxes of Persia had been chosen as the instrument of God to enable Nehemiah to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.

The big issue, into which other big issues flowed in the end, was the fact that World Liberalism – the democratizing cry of   liberty and fraternity that preached the brotherhood of man and plugged Democracy as the ultimate form of social organization whether the terrain was East, West, North or South, was beginning to run out of ideas wherever you looked. It looked, in fact, set to hoist on its own petard. The Arab Spring, in the exotic excitement of which Barak Obama had made his first major official trip as President of USA to address the youths of Egypt in Cairo, had morphed into ISIS, and the pragmatic need to condone the brutal efficiency of ‘strong men’ such as Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the House of Saud to keep the hoi-polloi from charging down the bastions of stability and risking unmitigated chaos in the world. The lofty dream had become the nightmare of Syria, and a rowdy and lawless Libya, liberated into chaos from the hands of its dictator, and now the channel through which hordes of Arabs and Africans, including tens of thousands of Nigerians, ran the gauntlet of thousands of deaths in the Mediterranean Sea to land as refugees on the shores of Italy, seeking a new life and an escape into Europe from their failed and failing states. Mainland Europe was being swamped by refugees from distant conflicts, and economic migrants seeking a better life. Hidden among them, their dark thoughts undecipherable by any invention of Science, were ‘sleeper’ terrorists, determined to get to the Western World to wreak havoc. The nation of Germany, eighty-one million strong, was gearing itself up for the all but impossible task of absorbing a million refugees who spoke no German, knew nothing of German culture, practised a different religion, and had a different world view.

At the personal level, Liberty – in the eyes of some – was shading into Libertinism. Some issues became ‘no go’ areas for public discussion as a result of ‘political correctness’. Professors in Ivy League institutions, and captains of Industry could be hounded off their perch if they made off-handed statements that could be termed anti- one thing or another – anti-feminist (‘misogynistic’), anti-Semitic, anti-gay. In a bizarre culmination, the pursuit of democratic freedom for every minority – whether transvestite or disabled or ‘Latino’, became an effective stifler of free speech itself. Expression of worry over the ‘mainstreaming’ of gay culture in schools, media, and public culture in Western society, and the rights of gay ‘couples’ to adopt and raise children, became an ‘offence’ for which one could be ‘excommunicated’, a company could be boycotted, a public office could be lost, and a home could be attacked by ‘activists’.

On Immigration, the ‘received wisdom’ that ‘Multiculturalism’ was the ‘democratic’ basis on which immigrant populations should be allowed to settle in host communities had been taking a battering since the Iraq war and the advent of Al Qaida. The doubts had come to a head with ISIS and the Paris shooting, and a rapidly growing number of terrorist incidents that Western governments seemed powerless to prevent. People in their minds, if not in public debate, began to question whether it made good sense to have ‘Little Pakistans’ or ‘Little Somalias’ in Birmingham or North London. Should a minimum standard of readiness to accept a new way of life and assimilate not be expected of every new settler in a new land? If a person did not identify with the ethos and rituals of a place, why should he migrate there? Even carrying a passport or being born in the land does not necessarily answer the question. An example is Abu Hamza – ‘the Hook’ –  a ‘British citizen’ of Yemeni extraction who was extradited to USA after a long legal battle and is currently serving a jail term for terrorism. He speaks ‘Queen’s English, enjoys all the rights and privileges of being British, but is actually Yemeni in every fibre of his being, and has nothing but contempt for British culture and their way of life.

Then there is Globalisation, and Free Trade. The changing dynamics of the work-place have left many people in the American hinterland behind and given them a sense that they are in such straits because ‘American jobs are being exported abroad’. There is a dawning realisation that other powers – China, India, are coming up in the world and beginning to challenge the previously untrammelled influence of America.

And, of course, there is the big elephant in the room, the one that cannot be discussed in polite conversation in civilized circles, because it is not only ‘politically incorrect’, it is actually ‘racist’. The liberal cause has proved itself in America, and almost choked on its own vomit. A black man has held the White House for eight years. And no wishy-washy token presence put there to fulfill righteousness. No. A Barack Obama – brilliant, eloquent, high-minded, succeeding in the teeth of a clearly racist Republican determination to ‘shut him down’ from his first day in office. In Obama, the liberal white man has proved himself, but in the wake of Obama, he has also discovered a sad truth about himself – that he is not as ‘colour blind’ as he has made himself believe. In the privacy of the polling booth, on election day, he voted Trump.

Donald J Trump. The 45th President. Some doomsday scenario painters say he may be the last.

A bundle of unresolved contradictions within himself, and in the expectations that surround him. He wants to fly in the face of the United Nations by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, moving the US embassy there, and possibly provoking a new Israel-Arab conflict. And yet some of his most passionate supporters are anti-Semitic neo-Nazis who support the extermination of Jews. He talks down the quality of life, and the quality of governance, in black nations, and black neighbourhoods in America. Unfortunately, it is true that governance is bad in Africa, and black neighbourhoods in America are unlivable as a result of crime, drugs, and violence, among other causes.

He is beholden to Russia for its underhand assistance in getting him – perhaps even against his own expectation – into the White House. The Russians may think they have his number, and can blackmail him. But he will face up to Russia some day, at some point. For one thing, his ego will clash with Vladimir Putin’s, and they will either reach a truce of ‘mutually assured destruction’ or trigger a World War because one wants to be ‘the last man standing’.

Few days from now Donald Trump will step into the White House as the 45th American President. The Americans are in fever pitch anticipation waiting for a man whose conduct, so far, has been   contrary to the norm. Trump is a novelty in American politics, nay the world. His victory shocked the pundits and soothsayers whose predictions never gave Trump a chance. Why? They could not imagine a man with such crude dispositions and unorthodox style would garner votes to victory. Talk about his mannerisms, they are far away from being normal. Many dismiss his penchant of speaking what they dub the language of the street and directed at the proverbial common man right from the time he started campaigning for his party’s Republican ticket through to the presidential elections.

 For the first time, a presidential candidate openly took the media up and spat on their faces for their rabid opposition to his candidacy. To him, given the obvious bias of the mainstream media in favour of his opponent, Hillary Clinton, the Fourth Estate of the Realm had betrayed the cardinal principle of the profession that truth is sacred. He sees majority of the journalists and broadcasters   as liars and  jokers. He also threw a punch at illegal immigrants, vowing  that he would fish them out and get them expelled as soon as he was sworn in. He had a scathing message for the religious bigots – especially the Muslims – threatening once sworn in, he would make the   United States too hot for them to stay. To him “they are blood suckers”.

 Trump is now US President elect , rhetorics of electioneering campaigns are gone. The question begging for an answer is :  Will he be true to his campaigns promises? A BBC commentary  column of 10 November 2016 raised some poignant posers for Trump on tackling   some of the major issues he raised during his electioneering trips across America. I wish to recall few of them in this piece. Already some of his cabinet nominees are talking of the rules of law to implement some of Trump’s weird policies rather than carrying them out by fiat.

 First on his card is the removal of two million illegal immigrants . How he is going to achieve this still remains cloudy. There are only an estimated 178,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records . Even if they are two million, to begin mass deportation on that scale would be hard. However, Americans are waiting for his joker.

 Second:  The building of Trump Wall. He has slightly changed one of his campaign promises that would make Mexicans finance the building of the wall to now saying the wall will be built through appropriations process as soon as April. In one of his tweets, Trump said : “The congressional appropriations to build the wall was because of speed”.  New York Republican Representative, Chris Collins, echoing that said American tax payers would fund  the cost for the wall but that he was confident Trump would negotiate getting the money back from Mexico. “When you understand that Mexico’s economy is dependent upon US consumers, Donald Trump has all the cards he needs to play” . The wall is estimated to cost as much as $10 billion ( N480 billion).

Third: To deny visa- free travel to countries which refuse to take back their citizens. In theory he can, under section212 ( F) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 152, making reference to President Barack  Obama who had used the act to block visas of certain groups. But for Trump to apply the rule to the entire countries of the world may be difficult to achieve.

Fourth: appointment of a new Supreme Court Judge. It is yet to be seen. Though there is a vacancy in the higher echelon of the US court after the death of conservative Antoin Scalia.

President Obama has nominated a replacement but the Republican controlled house has refused to consider it. Mr Trump has an opportunity to nominate a candidate to the  Supreme Court. Through  this, he could influence decisions on everything from abortion to freedom of the Press and probably same sex marriage.

 Fifth: Repealing Obama Care. Already the Republican legislators who now dominated the two houses of Congress have   tactically endorsed Trump pledge to have Obamacare repealed as   soon as he assumes office.  Though this threat will be a tall order to achieve,Trump will need to find a way to overcome a strong Democratic  opposition in the Senate. To repeal health legislation without an immediate replacement will deny millions of Americans  now receiving affordable  health care.

Sixth: Cancellation of all payments to the UN climate change programmes. Though he can get the scrapping of payment through the Republican dominated Congress, he will have to contend with Paris Agreement which ratified it as an international law. Withdrawal may take four years or more.

Seventh: Trump who described China as a currency manipulator may be inclined to rattle China with an executive order to remedy what  he considered an unacceptable situation. But given the vibrancy of the Chinese economy, whatever measure President Trump might take against China is likely to be of limited effect.

 The Trump cabinet is almost in place. These are the men and women who will set the tone of implementing Trump’s “weirdest” ideas. It is, however, a mixed grill. Some of  his nominees do not share the rather extreme positions of Trump on some issues, like the National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, who has a history of tactically supporting anti- Muslim activists , Jefferson Beauregard who  believes in equal rights for all and Steve Bannon- Trump’s Chief Strategist- whose selection was most welcome by white supremacists. In a most dramatic twist on Tuesday 9  January 2016, Trump’s nominee for US Attorney General stunned the Senate Confirmation Panel when he said : “ I abhor the KK Klan and what it represents and its hateful ideology”. Even those placard carrying protesters against his nomination: “Stop the racist pig from getting into power” were dis appointed when he further said, he did not support outright Muslim ban from the U.S.  “ We have great Muslim citizens”.

Trump will be carrying a lot of baggage into his office next Friday judging from his last news conference last Wednesday 11 January 2017. As a business man , he maintained he would ever be, though he pledged to transfer the running of his multi- billion dollars businesses to his two sons. His link to Russia  is an albatross that is making many Americans to believe that their indomitable world influence will be  compromised. And the last which to me will be very hard for him to fight is his disdain for the Press.

 The world is waiting for Trump and how he wants to actualise his campaign mantra : “ WE WANT TO TAKE  OUR AMERICA BACK” against these odds.

• Olamiti writes from Las Vegas.