Reflecting on the re-election of Donald Trump

Those who know the Grumpy Old Man know that I have a long held an obession with American politics and modern history. During my earlier life in the corporate world I travelled to America frequently and developed a fascination for the country, it's history, culture and people. America touches all of our lives in so many ways - it's power and influence, it's innovation, it's products and it's economic might. However, like so many non-Americans, I could not understand how, or why Donald Trump managed to build such a devoted, almost cultish following.

Donald J Trump - 47th President of the United States of America

Before I move on, I must point out to readers that I correctly predicted the outcome of the last three US elections so the result of the 2024 election came as no surprise, at least to me.

The majority of Americans, as was made clear by Trump’s victory, were able to overlook his abhorrent personal behaviour, the insults, the cruelty, the endless grift, his grotesque family and his pathological lying. Add to this the unashamed racism, bigotry and a fawning admiration of sociopathic autocrats such as Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un, Recep Erdogan and Viktor Orban. Also, it seems that many Americans were happy to overlook, or forget the fact that Trump attempted to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election and fomented the violent storming of the Capitol on 6th January.

I have now come to the realisation that I have been suffering from what has been aptly termed Trump Derangement Syndrome. I simply could not comprehend the office of the President of the United States of America being occupied by such a self-obsessed, inarticulate buffoon. A conman, a narcissist and a fraud who has been found liable for sexual abuse who often describes women as  being ‘dumb’, ‘fat’, ‘a pig’, ‘a dog’,  ‘a bimbo’, ‘disgusting’, ‘nasty’ or contrarily  ‘a beautiful piece of arse’. A man who proudly boasted “you can do anything if you are a star” including “grab them by the pussy”.

My mistake is that I failed to recognise that America is at heart, a deeply conservative, religious and insular society. My subconscious proclivity was to view America from my more liberal European standpoint. The majority of Americans aspire to the American dream, defined by James Truslow Adams as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement”. Donald Trump convinced voters that he and he alone could deliver the American Dream through the formation of the Make America Great Again movement. I like many others, underestimated Trump’s almost animal-like political instincts, his incredible resilience and his natural showmanship. Trump understood that working class American voters felt left behind and were understandably disillusioned by traditional establishment politicians. Trump’s coarseness, relatability and promise to rid the country of the 'radical left' and the ‘deep state’ appealed to the disaffected.

Meanwhile elitist Democrats continued to sneer at the MAGA ‘deplorables’ and smugly lecture the working classes rather than offer recognition, opportunity and respect. To me it was abundantly clear that the economy, cost of living and immigration was foremost in voters’ minds, not a bizarre fixation with political correctness, pronouns, identity and transgender issues. Most Americans I know don’t care about such matters or abstract visions such as ‘saving democracy’. They care most about what affects them personally in their daily lives - job security, prices, crime and health care.

Add to this grave misjudgement on the part of the Democrats, the cover up of Biden’s obvious senility and then, too late in the game, the anointing of Kamala Harris, an unpopular candidate with no clear message carrying the baggage of the past four years of the Biden administration. A Republican victory was almost inevitable. Many of my American friends told me that whilst they abhor Trump as an individual, they support his policies and believe that life was better, and would be better again under a Trump administration, despite the inevitable chaos. Thus, they held their noses and voted for Trump.

What lies ahead

Judging by Trump’s cabinet selections, described by the right leaning Wall Street Journal as “back to the island of misfit toys”, the next four years is certain to be a fascinating roller coaster ride. Trump now wields unprecedented power with control of the White House, Congress, the Senate, Justice Department and the Supreme Court and unlike his first term, he will demand, and probably get, unwavering fealty from his cabinet picks and underlings.

Trump 2.0 will be judged on his ability to deliver on his wide range of campaign promises and, by having complete control of all levers of government, he will not be able to blame others for any failures. As he proclaimed in his victory speech – “promises made, promises kept”. For Trump and his cabinet, the next 100 days will be crucial.

One thing we can predict with absolute certainty is the next few months will be a roller coaster ride with many unexpected twists and turns. The Grumpy Old Man will try to judge Trump impartially and objectively on what his administration manages to deliver rather than hyperbole and bluster. Buckle up and let's check in again after the first 100 days!