When have we been so interested in politics, polls of American personalities inan election on the “other side of the pond”? Previously apathetic voters may have had their hands forcedby Trump into making a decision either way. In years past, they couldhave afforded to have forfeited their votes, but with stakes this high, even the most timid voter had to show an interest in politics. This especially includes the female vote. There is a numerous amount of documented evidence in the public domain of how Trump and his supporters view women. Ironically, the misogyny which is so prevalent in the Republican party could have served as a new driver for females to vote and make a woman the first president of the US - yet this was apparently not the case.
Did what we see stretch the idea of democracy to breaking point? In this election, as no other before, four percent of the world population, with access to $45 trillion worth of natural resources, decided
on issues that affect disenfranchised immigrants, residents of Middle Eastern countries, not to mention the inhabitants of Ukraine and Taiwan. The world audience was left watching aghast from the sidelines as this American soap drama drew to an end, its finale affecting foreign bystanders for the next four years.
According to a CNN article published on Sunday 3 November, three days before the race for the
White House, the Trump election machine had already claimed that “voting by non-citizens is a widespread problem”. Trump himself claimed that “the only way Vice President Kamala Harris can win the election is by cheating.” These are certainly interesting days when a presidential nominee takes the role of a fortune teller in attempting to tell the future - yet that his exactly what he did.
During an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Trump said Republican critic Liz Cheney, once the third-highest ranking House Republican, would not be a “radical war hawk” if she was in a war situation and had guns “trained on her face.” Trump has made it public knowledge that upon his presidency, his primary aim will be to pay back his enemies. In a country with excessive gun crime, how can a potential leader threaten Liz Cheney with “nine barrels shooting at her”? If we cast our minds back to the end of Trump’s first term in office, the spectre of riots in the Capitol Building on January 6 2021 remind us of the lethal consequences when there is not a peaceful transfer of power between administrations. Mike Pence, former US Vice President, was almost hanged because he upheld the rule of law. Is history going to repeat itself?
When the founding fathers of the United States wrote their Constitution, little did they imagine that one day a convicted felon could run for presidency, let alone win. On Trump's re-election, any presidential actions directed against his enemies will be exempt from criminal prosecution. His first term plan to weight the Supreme Court judges in the Republicans’ favour guarantees this so long as he fulfils his “hit list” during his presidential term and therefore cannot be charged as a private individual. The president of the US is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and navy. Remarks which he made during the pre-election stage gave commentators a chilling remind- er of what an autocratic United States of America could, and potentially will, look like. How different would it be from the current situation in North Korea and Russia? American politics and foreign policy has now exploded into global magnitude which affects billions of people.
Whether or not you agree with Trump’s outspoken nature, he has certainly made politics impossible to ignore. If you didn’t believe beforehand that Trump is making politics interesting, you cannot help but acknowledge the impact his second term in office is likely to have on the world. He pulled off a staggering victory by any standards and surprised world leaders. Is this the first time that we have seen a convicted criminal assume the reins of power in one of the most powerful nations on Earth?
