What does it mean now that Trump is president?
Since the announcement of Donald Trump’s, excuse me….future President Donald Trump’s win, the world has gone a bit crazy. With some people rejoicing and others running for the hills, this is a definite sign that the next few months will be an interesting time. Figuring out what happens next, what does it mean now that Trump is president? Many are thinking it’s time to travel.
After a hard-fought and highly surprising campaign run, it is hard to see at this point of Mr. Trump will be able to honour his many vague promises made throughout the campaign. The former TV entertainer and business mogul has made a string of promises, from doing away with Obamacare and medical aid schemes to more controversial decisions, but now that he has won will he be able to stick to his word or will he follow in the usual political back-tracking?
Foreign policy
An interesting part of Trump’s pre-presidential stretch, he has come under a lot of fire for his foreign policy approach. Trump has said that as president he may not honour the previous promises made to NATO countries in the way of protection. In an interview before the republican convention, Trump stressed that he would only be willing to help a fellow NATO country if they had fulfilled its “obligations” within the standing alliance. With this stance, arguably a counter-productive one on a larger scale of global politics, this will mark the first time in post-World War Two America that a candidate has suggested putting conditions on the USA’s defense of key allies.
With a view that can only be described as “America first”, placing their interests above all else, Trump has threated to withdraw troops from Europe and Asia if those allies do not pay more for protection. A plot straight out of a Mafia movie, it would seem Trump has a view of a separated future for the world, focusing on American strength rather than global allegiance.
As for what he perceives as Islamic State threats? “Bomb the hell out of them”.
Trade and economy
An interesting element of Trump’s rise to the top of the political sphere, he hasn’t really offered anything in the way of solutions or even policies regarding trade and economy, rather asking the American public to trust him and see what happens…well that seems solid. One insight he has offered however, is saying “my core beliefs are I want a major tax cut”. Now, judging by the current economic position in America, especially the distribution of wealth, his only policy information seems to be one that would heavily favour the wealthy and continue the current situation inequality.
Highly critical of past trade deals, often suggesting that America never came first in these agreements, he has even labeled the Trans-Pacific Partnership as a rape of America. He has made promises to reword trade deals to prioritise America’s interests. While this may seem good for the country, it will also bring him head to head with the World Trade Organisation and burn bridges with foreign nations who have operated in this way for such a long period of time.
Immigration
Proposing some of the most divisive legislation around, Trump wants to remove all undocumented immigrants. A move that could cripple the American economy, not to mention a move that is completely impossible to implement, it would in fact take away most of America’s labour force. Since the realization of how impractical the move would be, Trump has quietly shifted his ideas, focusing now on instead deporting all illegal immigrants with criminal records.
Trump also wants to move towards suspending immigration from terror-prone regions, where vetting cannot, in their eyes, safely occur. With vague terminology allowing for quite a bit of leeway, countries like Syria would definitely fall into this category- Trump has claimed that the US government does not know who they let in from these regions…even though they must go through two years of scrutiny to make it into the country in the first place.
Women
A hot topic when talking about the Trump campaign, and future presidency, the power of the female vote has only recently been recognised by Trump’s camp. Having spoken degradingly of women throughout his campaign, squeezed between allegations of sexual impropriety and finished off with the now famous “Grab her by the p****” line, it is frighteningly clear that this is a man with little regard or respect for the opposite sex. However, the American women still have mixed feelings towards him, some claiming the worst and others giving him the benefit of the doubt. Among the general public, females overwhelmingly dislike him by more than a 2-1 margin, but among his party and some independents he has ample support.
Something he has lacked on his road to the White House though, a topic that one would think would be a highlighted discussion, a position on equal pay and paid family leave. With disregard for women. Referring to women mostly by their level of attractiveness rather than education or qualification, his words for the most part condone sexism rather than fighting it – not a view that a president should be proud to hold.
A Trump presidency is feared would stall, if not set back, women’s rights.
While many may still be in shock that Trump actually made it all the way to the presidency, this is the reality we face for the next four years. Impacting the global economy, directly effecting the South African financial situation, this will be a time of transition for all. Whether or not he sticks to his controversial views is soon to be seen, but luckily for him he has been vague enough with his promises to make it work in his favour. With an outsider, business approach to politics, this could be a whole different America within the next few years.
