Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton on November 8th sent shockwaves around the globe. What many perceived to be impossible became a reality. A Trump victory seemed so unlikely in the lead up to the vote that bookmakers, Paddy Power, paid out on Clinton winning weeks before the election took place. For many, the overriding reaction to arguably the biggest upset in the history of US presidential elections was disbelief. Some undoubtedly questioned American people’s ability to hear properly. Did they not gather what Trump had previously said about women, Muslims and latinos? The list goes on.
It is easy to smear all Trump supporters as racists, misogynists and bigots – and undoubtedly some do fall into these categories – but the reasons behind his victory are complex, and historians and political scientists will spend years pinpointing the exact causes of this result. One thing that is clear, however, is that people are angry, and they voted for change. Those of us who shudder at the thought of a Trump presidency must accept that this was the will of the American people. And that this is how democracy works at times. Two things that we do not have to accept, though, is that the language he used during the campaign and some of the policies he proposed are legitimate because they are not. They don’t belong in political discourse in the 21st century and must be challenged.
World leaders, including our own Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, were quick to “congratulate” Trump on his victory. In a statement the morning after Trump’s election, Kenny outlined that “the government looks forward to working closely with our new colleagues in the White House”. On a practical level, this is entirely understandable. Ireland has long-standing ties with the US that need to be maintained, and the US is also one of our biggest export markets. To be friendly and congratulatory to the man who is going to be the most powerful leader on the planet makes sense. There is something uneasy, though, about Kenny and other leaders pandering to Trump with such ease after spending the last few months criticising him. In fact, earlier this year in the Dáil, the Taoiseach called Trump “racist and dangerous” and highlighted that “there is an alternative to vote for” – presumably referring to Clinton.
German Chancellor, Angela Merkel’s comment rightly says that the West will give Trump a chance to govern, but if he attempts to implement policies that go against Western values, then he will be challenged.
In comparison, Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, outlined that she “watched the election results with trepidation”. Her statement continued: “Germany and America are connected by values of democracy, freedom and respect for the law and the dignity of man, independent of origin, skin colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political views. I offer the next President of the US close cooperation on the basis of these values.” This response to Trump’s win is not only more consistent with what the majority of world leaders had said prior to the election, but it also sends a message to the US’s President-elect. It rightly says that the West will give Trump a chance to govern, but if he attempts to implement policies that go against Western values, then he will be challenged.
Looking at the campaign that has just concluded, it appears that there will be many areas for leaders in Europe and elsewhere to challenge Trump. Proposals such as banning all Muslims from entering the US and starting trade wars with China and other countries are, of course, policies that Americans and the rest of the world should rally against. By blaming an entire religion, that consists of 1.6 billion people, for the crimes of a small minority shows a total lack of understanding of the problem that – as Trump would say – “radical Islamic terrorism” poses. Trump’s protectionist policies would also decrease the purchasing power of those at the bottom more so than they would hurt middle to high income earners. Ironically, the working class who voted primarily for Trump will have voted against their own interests if these proposals become a reality. These sorts of divisive and damaging suggestions that Trump has made throughout the campaign should not be assumed to be the “new normal” just because he was voted in, they should be challenged at every juncture.
Indeed, in the time since the election, many comparisons have been made between Trump’s election and Brexit – Britain’s vote to leave the EU. The two votes were undoubtedly driven by similar forces: anti-establishment sentiments, a stagnation of living standards and people’s desire to “take back control” of their own country. This rise in nativist and populist politics throughout the West is certainly part of a worrying trend. Coalitions that were formed after World War II and have been maintained ever since are at greater risk of being broken down than they have been at anytime since their establishment. The upcoming presidential election in France and December’s referendum in Italy on Senate reform could spell disaster for the EU if anti-establishment forces come out on top. And with Trump making negative mutterings about the Nato, the bedrock of western security policy could also be at risk.
Despite it being a democratic necessity to accept this outcome, it also remains a democratic necessity to challenge Trump’s policies and his rhetoric. The growing consensus around the idea that Trump will be “fine”, and we need not worry about him detracts from the seriousness of what he has said and proposed.
Aside from the controversial policy proposals that Trump has advocated for, it was his rhetoric that many people felt most uneasy about. Calling Mexicans “rapists” and making exceedingly derogatory comments about women was not acceptable during the election campaign and it is not acceptable now. Since the election, there have also been dozens of reports of racially motivated hate crimes throughout the US and with a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan celebrating Trump’s victory, minority groups have reason to be frightened.
In a speech in Ireland’s upper house, the Seanad, days after the result, Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin quoted Edmund Burke in saying that “the only way for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing”. These acts of hatred can certainly be categorised as evil. While they are presumably acts that President-elect Trump would not condone, he is, in part, responsible for allowing these racially motivated divisions back into the mainstream by propagating similar sentiments himself.
The world will eventually have to come to terms with a Trump presidency. Its consequences are currently unknown but will presumably become more apparent from the moment he takes office. I, like so many others, remain dubious about Trump’s chances of being a successful president, and I would strongly question his motives for seeking office. Since he was the US’s choice, though, he at least deserves a chance to govern. That said, despite it being a democratic necessity to accept this outcome, it also remains a democratic necessity to challenge Trump’s policies and his rhetoric. The growing consensus around the idea that Trump will be “fine”, and we need not worry about him detracts from the seriousness of what he has said and proposed.
I remain of the view that remarks such as “Americanism and not globalism will be our credo” will be damaging not only to the US, but also to the wider world. The prevailing anti-establishment sentiment that pervades contemporary politics, and everything that comes with that, has the ability to severely damage our current global institutions. It feels like the world has taken several steps backwards in recent months. Yet, as Clinton said in her concession speech, “never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it”. Those who believe in a tolerant and open world should heed this advice.
