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Unlike many others of his kind, US Presidential candidate Donald Trump does not hesitate to jump in where many others would hesitate to tread. And does so with a craziness and callousness that seem to be costing him much goodwill, and perhaps the vote. Such as his decision to accept the invite of the National Association of Black journalists for a physical interaction. A ‘yes’ that he seemed to be having many thoughts over as his response to the first question went into a litany of woes, from ‘you started late’; a ‘ I was told Kamala Harris would be attending but she is not here’; to an attack on the black woman journalist for being hostile with her first question that had spelt out his hostile remarks on American Africans and asked him why the Blacks should trust him at all.
All news shows in the US seem to agree that this performance — where he even insisted that his opponent Kamala Harris was Indian for most of her life and suddenly turned ‘black’-- would cost Trump the votes but there were voices that thought otherwise. In that he was clearly playing to his white supremacist constituency; and also attempting to create a wedge in the minds of Black voters about her ethnicity. Whether he succeeds or not only the ballot will disclose, but it will certainly not be for want of trying. As he has a solid support base, that is further consolidated and definitely not cracked by his histrionics and lies.
This raises so many questions about the supposedly great democracy that has provided opportunity and freedoms unparalleled in the world. That it has not is reflected in Democratic candidate Kamala Harris’s campaign where she is promising ‘freedom’ for all. Clearly there is recognition at least in part of the political class that this freedom has been restricted, and has not resulted in equal opportunities for all. But keeping this aside for the moment, the signals from Trump and his campaign are fascinating as these demonstrate the side of America that many in the world, and certainly within, do not want to see.
Trump’s campaign is not that of a fool as some mimics portray but of a shrewd man who has factored in his support base and is catering to it. This is right wing White and supports his dramatics, his lies — mainstream media fact checkers have been speaking and printing volumes on this so it’s there for any and everyone to verify– his exaggerations, and his divisiveness and support for hate. The more personalised and hateful his speech the greater the applause at his rallies is a strong indication of what he and his supporters stand for. There is an endorsement of hate and divisiveness, with the promise to make the US more authoritarian.
Harris, on the other hand, is running a dignified pro-rights and pro-freedom campaign that is certainly not going unnoticed judging from the polls and the media coverage. However, on the one issue that both are together is the US foreign policy that has bipartisan support and where Democrats and Republicans come together to support conflict and violence across the world. The Deep State has control over this, and the President of the day is fairly powerless to follow his or her own way on this.
Take the recent visit of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the US, where he addressed the Congress to not one, not two but 50 plus standing ovations from the Congressmen gathered to cheer him on to complete the genocide in Gaza. Here Trump has no compunctions and speakers at his rallies have said as much, shouting out for Israel in its military action against the Palestinians. Harris had some qualms as she was still gathering the votes and trying to appeal to the fence sitters, and while she had to meet Netanyahu and shake hands (what else is this but an endorsement) she spoke of a ceasefire and an end to suffering. Washington has been speaking of a ceasefire too under President Biden but has done little to nothing to enforce it. And Netanyahu has seized the opportunity provided by the elections, and the US Congress endorsement, to complete the genocide.
The massacre, the starvation, the torture, rape and mass deaths of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails has gone unnoticed and uncommented with Netanyahu smiling the entire way back from Washington to Tel Aviv. This is the American democracy being touted, with the worst kind of violence against an unarmed and innocent populace being ignored by those who have projected themselves as protectors and nurturers of freedoms across the world. The difference between the two major political parties is just of nuance, in that Harris if she is elected to power will be a little more genteel in her support for Israel, couching it in ceasefire language whereas Trump will have no such compunctions.
The world can take its pick. For the American voters the issues are just domestic and very few really care or even know of the rights and freedoms being suppressed by their democratic government across the globe, directly or sort of indirectly.
