In what is being billed as a stunning upset and a repudiation of the established order, Americans have chosen to vote to power what doomsday forecasters opined would be a man who would spell disaster for the world’s lone superpower. Republican Donald Trump has squarely beaten Democrat Hillary Clinton after a campaign that was explosive, polarising, and incredibly dirty. The long-held ideals of American democracy have been rudely shaken from their roots. The electorate has indeed mocked at opinion polls which were hitherto looked upon as credible. It is as though the whole edifice of phoney idealism has come crashing down. In the bargain, a sizeable section of the media has also been made to bite dust and has been seen through as a purveyor of distorted news and bizarre analysis. The underlying message from the election outcome as also with Brexit in Europe earlier when Great Britain voted in a referendum to pull out of the European Union, is that the people want change, they are fed up of the so-called ‘time-tested’ principles and procedures and the hypocrisy that these represented.
Indeed, the victory of Donald Trump, 70, a real estate developer-turned-reality television star with no government experience, is a powerful rejection of the vested interests that considered themselves invincible — the cozy club between politicians and business. It was a decisive demonstration of power by a largely overlooked coalition of mostly blue-collar white and working-class voters who felt that the promise of the United States had slipped their grasp. Having stoked division during his campaign, Trump is now at pains to emphasise unity. Another piece of good news for the Republican was that bolstered by Trump’s strong showing, Republicans retained control of the Senate. Trump’s win — stretching across the battleground states of Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania — sent shivers down the spine of the stock markets. American’s international allies, many of whom were startled when Trump in his campaign cast doubts on the necessity of America’s military commitments abroad and its allegiance to international economic partnerships were too stunned to fathom what was going on.
The world will now have to learn to do business with Donald Trump — good, bad or ugly. The challenges before him are daunting indeed. India will have its quota of surprises in working with him. Will he prove a hard nut to crack on the policy towards Indian immigrants? Will he continue to build upon the strategic partnership that the two countries have forged with China in mind? Will he be tough or soft on Pakistan? These and many other questions will crave an answer.
