THE SECOND COMING

Trump 1.0 was not an aberration, but a logical sign of shifting political realities and cultures. Simply following the playbook of the first term may not be enough to do business with DONALD TRUMP in his second term

- NAVTEJ SARNA

The world is still coming to terms with Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Many had no doubt predicted, even feared, this outcome, particularly when a frail Joe Biden began to slur, slip and stumble. Yet, once Kamala Harris was pitchforked into the campaign—and made early gains—there was a residual hope in sections of American society and many parts of the world that Trump would be kept out. Hope is not the right word; it was more a reality-denial. Many were just not willing to believe that a man twice impeached and prosecuted four times, a convicted felon on multiple counts, could actually become the most powerful man in the world. Again. They clung on to the outdated belief that decency, however uninspiring, would always trump dark vision.

Sooner, rather than later, acceptance must replace anguish. Trump has won emphatically not only the electoral college but, for the first time, the popular vote. More than half of the voters wanted him back to the White House, and there is no greater backing in a democracy. His supporters have overlooked, by free choice, his trademark profanities, his misogyny, racism and his vulgar machismo. They have forgiven his violent obstruction to the transfer of power in 2020. They have unconditionally bought into his narrative of Making America Great Again (MAGA), no matter what the cost. Immigration and inflation proved more powerful than being woke or championing abortion; even multi-racial working-class groups and women voters have swung towards him. There was an undeniable rightward shift in all 50 states. Clearly, despite Biden’s investments in manufacturing and infrastructure, people were unhappy with the Democrats; they voted for ‘Change with Strength’. The inescapable conclusion: Trump 1.0 was not an aberration, an inexplicable blip. It was a logical sign of shifting political realities and cultures.