I got it wrong!
WHETHER YOU like him or not, you must admit that Trump is no ordinary being. Here is a presidential candidate who started his campaign for a second term in office one year ago. At that time, everyone thought he was mad. Certainly, the Democrats felt so, as they paid little attention to him, continuing to rest on their laurels. This was Biden’s greatest mistake.
As history will show, Trump had a huge advantage as he canvassed far and wide without any challenge or countering narrative. He was even ridiculed for being monotonous, repetitive, always ‘singing the same song’. Alas, it was too late before his opponents realised that such a strategy becomes believable the more you hear it, and in the absence of a different story.
Trump exploited the American public by inundating them with the same stories consistently over time until psychologically they saw no alternative, believed nothing else, and accepted what they were being fed as the gospel delivered by the new ‘orange Jesus’.
In an earlier article predicting the outcome of the recent US elections, I said that Kamala Harris would be the next president of the USA. I even said that before the end of this year Trump would be wearing an orange suit. I mentioned that Trump would not debate Harris. He did, and did not fare well against a superior intellect. Being the streetwise character he is, he gave the impression that he won the encounter and would be willing to debate her again. That was never to happen, he couldn’t chance another encounter with Harris. This looked like weakness on his part, but with the confidence and following he had built up on the campaign trail, unopposed, he could afford to do what he did. Harriss winning created little impact on the momentum he had going at the time.
How does a man who is proven to be an abuser of females, a liar, a cheat, a narcissist, a racist, a tax evader, a corrupt manipulator, having a poor understanding of politics in principle and international affairs particularly, a convicted felon, a man who is still struggling to explain his own political concept, etc, suddenly become the president-elect of what is supposed to be the greatest nation on earth?
MAGA MANTRA
Yes, I got it wrong, I didn’t see this one coming, and not by such a long mile. His MAGA mantra appealed strongly to white people of the nation, and particularly the white supremacists. The outcome clearly demonstrates the fact that white Americans subscribe to the dominance of their colour over all others, and when combined with the perception or reality that Trump puts more money in their pockets, the ‘cocktail mix’ is irresistible and will forever find favour in a highly racist society.
The fact that this perceived ‘supremacy’ was being challenged by a black female would have caused the impossible to have happened. This is evident in the fact that more white females voted for Trump than Harris, even though Trump’s policies threaten their right to critical life issues, such as abortions; and Harris campaigned on having them retain the “rights to their own bodies”. Racism is as alive and well in the USA, as is the power of money and feeding the ignorant with whatever it is that they want to hear.
So, the constant rhetoric, lewd behaviours, character assassinations, deliberate lies and inflated truths that have characterised Trump’s election campaign have resonated with the larger portion of the population, inclusive of significant numbers from ethnic groupings such as the Hispanics, Jews, Muslims, and even some Blacks, combining to give him the victory he achieved.
There are no consequences for being a convicted felon, or a person still to face the courts on numerous charges, criminal and otherwise. In fact, these seem like medals to be worn proudly on one’s chest when vying for public office in the USA. You need only to consistently proclaim innocence, even when convicted, and blame your transgressions on a ‘witch-hunt’ launched against you by your political opponents. I never saw it coming, I got it totally wrong, yet I am happy I am not a politician, here, there or anywhere else!
Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.