Trumpmania grips US: Why after 4 years?

Early Saturday morning (October 26), Israel retaliated with targeted multiple attacks in Tehran. An act widely anticipated, post the 180-plus ballistic missiles launched by Iran, over three weeks ago, to inflict untold damage to the Israeli masses. But hey, who gets briefed about the Israeli attack on Tehran in the USA? It’s Donald Trump, silly. And obviously the US administration, which includes, Vice President Kamala Harris. But why Israelis briefed Trump?

In, one of the most nailbiting Presidential races to the White House, it’s the illtempered, foul mouth, obnoxious & oxymoronic Trump, who has the edge. Adding to the barrage of prefixes while addressing Donald Trump, Kamala Harris recently added, “Hitler-like despotic” as well. Can former President Donald Trump be “prefixed” with any more inglorious, name-calling? Still, Trump holds his sway over the majority of American minds. The CNN poll released on Friday (Oct 25) evening, grudgingly, but admittedly acceded to the fact that both Trump and Harris, stand at 47% voter preference. Out of 7 swing states, which usually decide the fate of an American President, a majority would swing in favour of Trump. Adding further insult to Kamala Harris, one of the most liberal, Democrat-leaning newspapers, ‘The Washington Post’ has decided “not to endorse”, either of the two Presidential candidates. A break from its tradition since the 1980s. Layer this with the early voting pattern, which is usually loaded in favour of Democrats. This year, the early & postal voters are actually dumping Kamala Harris, and taking a stand with a man, who is barely considered “civil” among the educated, influential middle-class Americans.

With less than 10 days to go for polling, the USA, presents a completely fractured, yet, India like electoral politics. The defining line between the declared positions of Democrats and Republicans has blurred, beyond recognition. The economic policies advocated by Donald Trump - protectionism, tariff barriers against countries like China, crack down on oil oligarchies of the Arabian subcontinent, a controlled or limited doll to European countries or war-ravaged Ukraine/Gaza refugees – now find exalted space in Democratic chatter. The politics of the dole to uplift the marginal American families - state-sponsored dole to 11 million migrant families off which 7 million families have migrated illegally - definitive rise in employment figures over the past 3 years - advocation of women’s rights, especially abortion rights across the country, despite state laws – all these idyllic appeals vanish in thin air when confronted with inflation, exorbitantly high cost of living, high cost of housing, high interest rates, declining standards of American way of life.

Trump is also leading the debate on unabated ‘immigration’. The spurt in ‘illegal immigration’, unsecured borders, the presence of over 7 million illegal immigrant families on US soil in just 3 years, and the dole promised for the sustenance of illegal immigrants – are issues, which not only bother the White Americans, but even those, who themselves migrated from Asia, South America & Europe to the US over a decade ago. Almost 25 – 30 million illegal migrants find themselves entwined within the American business, which prefers undocumented – cheap labour. But it’s their very presence, which the resident Americans now find endangering the American way of life, their safety & security.

Kamala Harris has no definitive answer to these burning questions. Caught between the vote bank, dole politics and a tough stand against illegal migration, especially from South American countries, Kamal Harris, is Vice President, with no answers.

And then there are two conflict zones, across the world, which further give an edge to ‘isolationism’ advocated by Donald Trump. The economic impact of two years of Ukraine conflict. The USA has provided 75 Trillion Dollars of support Ukraine, while Europe has hardly chipped in. Reeling under the aftermath of Russian – Ukrainian war to the finish, it is the US public which faces economic deprivation. Trump wants Europe to pay for cost of war, as much as the US is paying. Donald Trump desires to have a direct line with Russian President Putin, so as to not only end the war on Ukraine but also find investment grounds in the emerging Russian market. When it comes to the Israel – Iran conflict, please note, that Israel has all of Trump’s ears. Let’s not forget the decisive shift of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – a step that acknowledged all legitimate/illegitimate claims Israel lays on occupied territories in Jerusalem.

Single-handedly, between 2017 and 2020, Trump had clamped down on Iran, its oil production and oil exports. Imagine from exporting 2.5 million barrels a day, Iran had to limit itself to just 0.4 million barrels per day. Clearly, Arab oil politics would get reshaped with Donald Trump as President, and so would the war against Iran, a nation held responsible for harbouring, aiding, and abetting terror. And providing all-out support of seven outfits, responsible for the mayhem in Israel, last year.

Kamala Harris is also facing the brunt of her Vice Presidency. President Joe Biden has hit a record-low approval rating of 32% in recent months.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Ajay Kumar The writer is Political Commentator & Journalist