By:Donald Sevilla
A BITTERSWÈET VICTORY
The unprecedented win by Donald Trump made history in American politics. It marked the first time that a US politician, who has been through so much, won a hotly contested race.
Trump had been through two impeachments, indicted by a federal grand jury and convicted on felony charges as well as scanďals involving women and business dealings.
Yet, despite these, he managed a remarkable comeback. He may have been painted a bigot, a foul-mouthed racist and a brash bully but his steĺlar return to the US Presidency had some analysts’ heads shaking in disbelief.
It marked a milestone in US politics, that a president won both the popular and electoral college votes by a margin. Beating the odds, Trump’s victory showed Americans what went wrong in theìr country.
What started as a Democrat dominated government ended in a Republican upheaval and victory. Clearly this was a big win for the right wing conservatives and showed the whole world that to the American electorate, issues mattered more than personalities.
The average American folks felt that under Trump’s previous presidency, the US economy was doing well compared to Biden’s.
Gas pump and food prices were relatively lower and the people felt more secure in their jobs. There was relative peace in Trump’s term as no wars were fought.
These struck a nostalgic çhord in people as the Biden administration was beset by domestic and foreign policy challenges.
It did not help that Trump’s foe VP Kamala Harris was weighed down by her Boss’ shadow. Nor did it help Harris that she came in late in the day as at first, Joe Biden was reluctant to let go of his re-election bid. All these circumstances worked strongly against the Democrats as shown by the resounding mandate the American people gave Trump.
To every American, this was a wakeup call of sorts. It was a time to reflect on the state of their country and the significant role it plays in the world stage.
Donald Trump is perceived to be a strong leader with political will in contrast to Biden and Harŕis’ weak images. But perhaps the American public is not yet ready for a female presidency. Remember Hillary Clinton’s loss to Trump and now Harris as well as some women contenders in the past who faded away? Names like Geraldine Ferraŕo and Sara Palin?
But for whatever the US election results was worth, it showed everyone that issues which greatly affect people’s well- being matter. When the American public spoke it was a people’s revolt against the hardships of a struggling economy and weak domestic and foreign policies.
It was not about Donald, Joe, Kamala or Barack but more on what these leaders could bring to the table; nothing personal but sheer hard work to turn things around.
Donald Trump has aptly caught the general sentiment in his MAGA( Make America Great Again) slogan that had mass appeal. Yet, much remaìns to be seen and done to keep the flames of the AMERICAN DREAM buŕning!