A Foreigner’s View on Mr Trump
Is Donald J. Trump’s candidacy a symptom of a sick society?
August 11th, 2016
‘Your reckless comments sound like a two-bit dictator, Donald.’ Sen. Elisabeth Warren (D;MA)
A few weeks ago was June 24: the Brexit. Some of us were astonished by this news (some, perhaps wiser, were not). On the other side of the Ocean, in no more than a few months, the US presidential race will come to an end. If we rely on polls, we might be reassured by the issue—Mrs Clinton in the most recent polls seems to be the winner-in-waiting with 46%. But polls are unstable (as it was during the few months of the UK referendum campaign). Here again we are warned of the danger. And we must not lower our guard on what might happen on November 8th.
A monster named Trump
This danger is none other than Donald J. Trump, who, in a way that defies all logic, has become one of the two pretenders to the White House. Mr Trump is like no other candidate— it is not the purpose of this article to prove so, American and European journalists have done well constructed reports on this political oddball and portrayed some of its most unsetting mischiefs— but Mr Trump is a symbol of a political shift that is forging a new era in politics.
American worries of a risk for the US safety if put in the hands of Donald Trump as the former Director CIA Michael J. Morell. Thus, we, abroad, should be aware that our safety will be sacked by such a man (even if we put aside the nuclear problem thrust into the limelight by Hillary Clinton).
However, we should notice one thing. For the first time in US Presidential race, Mr Trump was criticised, and sometimes considered as inapt to the supreme magistrature, by its own party. Speaker Paul D. Ryan has been saying for long he will not stand with Mr Trump. More than fifty former Republican officials declared their opposition to the billionaire in a open letter on August 9th. Even Newton Gingrich, former Speaker and former VP candidate, had difficulties to assert in a New York Times show that Mr Trump is sound-minded. I do not doubt that, even if Republican delegates are too coward to discharge Mr. Trump, we will see an automn of discontempt in the Republican party led against Trump-Pence ticket. A victory of Mr Trump—and may God spares us—will explode Republican party, and US political stability.
Open and closed society visions
No more than nine percent of American residents have given yet their support to both Mrs Clinton and Mr Trump. Hence we cannot pretend that Mr Trump and Mrs Clinton represent the political views of American citizens. Everything is still to be done. But, that is a fact, they are forming together the dilemma of our modern society: there is no opposition between conservatives and progressives anymore, but a brand new duel between openness and closed vision of society.
The openness is well embodied by Mrs Clinton and Mr Kaine through women equality with men, workers protection, tolerance measures and so on and so forth. They promote dialogue and seek consensus on security, military and social measures in order to ensure the well-being of American citizens as well as the room of the US as a ‘great’ trusted people in the concert of nations. This status will have to be restored after November as Mr Trump has destroyed part of the country’s image abroad.
In the other side of the spectrum the Trump-Pence duo illustrates the most closed, sectarian, misogynist, xenophobic United States’ society disgusting views. Anouncing a fence on the US border with Mexico, forbid the entry to the US to all muslims, declare that gun bearers have to use arms to ensure the Second Amendment will not be cut by Mrs Clinton if she is elected are demagogical and extremely brutal measures for a society which takes pride in considering itself a model of democracy — at a point that the Secret Service issued a tweet for the first time ever in a US presidential race.
What is striking in the US is the lack of reasons for such a character. Whereas in Europe we still deal with economic downfall, Obama’s term was the one of economic recovery and of new social benefits (such as the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare or the fall of the unemployment rate under 5% by June 2016).
So where did we get Donald J. Trump? Mr Trump is the candidate of the left behind. Of those from which politicians thought they were integrated in the society and political structure i.e. the white men, the middle-class, the WASP (not all of them of course). This electorate has been misunderstood. It is right for politicians to consider the diversity of origins and status of their society—Democrats care about Hispanic, Black or LGBT electorates for instance. But one could come to the conclusion that American white men (especially) do not recognise themselves in ‘open’ policies. Indeed, interviewees at the exit of Trump’s meetings often say they have been sacrified by minorities. The problem of American politics is not its lack of openness, embodied mainly by Democrats and supported also by a non-negligeable part of Republicans, but its lack of inclusiveness.
Community v. Society
Communities have always been an important characteristic of the American way of life, from the Independence war to nowadays. But rules are bound to be common to all. Mr Trump is playing on the boundaries of the decent by its comments, but each time he enhances the right for his community to take back control as if the community he represents were the depositary of the whole American society.
The first community which stands behind Mr Trump is the NRA-members which spend millions on ads to promote his candidacy. The second one is traditionalists and Tea Party fellows. The third one might be church communities—who think of Donald Trump as their advocate. However, this play on communities may reversed some traditional conservative states against Trump-Pence ticket. For instance, in Utah, a Republican leaning state, the Mormon community which has always been supportive of Republican candidates are now in a profound distate of Mr Trump for his comments on muslims as many Mormons are involved in pro-refugees movements. Utah may vote for the Democratic candidate for the first time since 1964.
Thus, defending a pro-traditionalist or excluding programme is now the main drawback for Trump’s candidacy as people are now focussed on what he may propose for the US more than on catch phrases and gibes on opponents. Then, American politics has now to found its saviour.
Mrs Clinton, a saviour of American democracy?
Who is the alternative? Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and Senator of New York. She is the complete opposite of her adversary. First of all, she is a woman and embodies the openness of American politics as I said earlier. She is also a skilled negociator and as a Secretary of State she has proved her abilities to engage America on the world scene.
Her terrible drawback is her lack of personal sentiments. No one truly knows what she thinks and she abandonned her spontaneity to a control freak communication team (e.g. she does not allow journalists to approach her during her meetings or to ask any stolen questions). President Clinton speech on the true life of his wife had moved audience during Philadelphia Convention. In any case, America needs a woman with reason more than a man playing on sentiments at its head.
For all of us, from America or from whatever part of the world we may be, Mrs Clinton is a hope to ensure the stability of American partnership, military safety and incarns a way forward to a more open, vibrant and connected world. She will be the perfect ally for European leaders.
Alexis Chalopin
Student in European Studies (Sciences Po & London School of Economics)
alexis.chalopin(at)sciencespo.fr
© Alexis Chalopin, août 2016
