The United States of America is voting in a general election dubbed by some as the most important ever since in her political history. Two individuals in the form of the incumbent hothead Donald J. Trump representing the Republicans and former Vice President Joe Biden representing the Democrats, go head-to-head to seek passage to The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Trump has come across as someone who is essentially about himself and nothing else while Biden is essentially about bringing America together for common purpose. There is a vast difference therefore, between hothead Trump and smart Biden. During the first presidential debate, Trump showed the world how bully he is by failing to demonstrate maturity and civil decency in the rules of engagement. He could not even respect the debate moderator. To his self-created disadvantage, he failed to score important debate points even where he could materially expose Biden’s shortcomings on policy issues. Biden kept his presidential cool whereupon in my view, he himself and smartly so, exposed Trump’s unfitness to be president. I am relying on television interviews from these two individuals to make these conclusions.
My first dismissive point of Trump has to do with how his administration has dealt with and continues to deal with Covid-19 pandemic. At the time of writing this article, more than 230,000 Americans had succumbed to the virus with more than 8 million infected. These numbers are growing exponentially by each passing hour of the day. Trump himself, probably against all expectations given how secured he is against any threat as an American President, was airlifted from the White House to Walter Reed hospital after contracting the virus. To this day even after unfortunately experiencing the virus, Trump continues to downplay Covid-19 by holding political rallies where World Health Organisation’s Covid-19 protocols are in large measure, hardly observed. It has been suggested by some that these mass rallies have turned into Covid-19 supers spreaders. He is at war with some members of the Covid-19 Task Team he constituted specifically Dr Anthony Fauci who is regarded as one of the best infectious disease doctors in the US. Trump is failing to lead the fight against Covid-19 by failing to lead the Americans in observing one of the simplest things to do-to wear a face mask particularly when in public. Trump appears to be oblivious to the fact that Covid-19 is a political issue that stands to influence the election from health and economic perspectives.
Trump has emphatically on numerous occasions suggested that he will not accept the results of the election presumably if he loses. By any account, this is a convenient vote of no confidence in the American electoral system that has served them for so long. I am neither suggesting that he should not lay complaints about electoral irregularities he may be aware of in this election nor that the electoral system is perfect. But for him to sort of pre-empt the legitimacy of the election long before it even begins is a serious threat to democracy and peace. He conveniently forgets that the very electoral system he now despises is the very one that determined him the winner in 2016. And he was perfectly content with it. These are signs of a person who may be sensing defeat and in the process, trying to stoke political instability of whatever nature.
The United States of America has been dogged by racism issues for the longest time and continues to do so. The recent racial tensions between the police and protesters where the Black Lives Matters movement came into prominence took a turn for the worse with the callous and horrific manner in the death of a black man called George Floyd. The video demonstrating this callous death was not meant for the faint-hearted because it was so insensitive on the part of the policemen involved to treat a human being in that manner. Other racial incidents resulting in avoidable deaths have continued since Floyd’s death. Trump has not come out clearly to condemn these incidents in the strongest possible language one would expect from a president. There is a militia group called the Proud Boys which seemingly supports Trump. When asked if he embraces this group, he was non-committal in denouncing it. In fact, he sounded to embrace it by asking it to be on stand-by presumably to await his instructions should push to come shove.
In the prevailing campaign strategies of Trump, it has come out very clearly that he does not present any informed, convincing plan to take America forward. He has made it a point that if elected, he will overturn the Affordable Health Care Act otherwise known as the Obamacare. He has since elected into office in 2016 promised to present his own health plan. To this day, he has reportedly and dismaly failed to do so. It is reported that overturning the Affordable Health Care Act will put the health status of many Americans particularly those in the lower ranks of the society and with pre-existing health conditions at greater risk given that such conditions play a significant role in the exacerbation of Covid-19 virus. In the midst of the damaging effects of Covid-19 pandemic in whatever respect, it is callous if not insensitive to subject the less privileged Americans to further damage of the pandemic. It is none of Trump’s interests it would appear because when he himself was admitted in hospital due to Covid-19, he received top notch treatment no other citizen can access at this point in time.
As someone watching how Trump is campaigning for re-election to occupy 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, he has from where I stand thousands of kilometres from this residential address, lost all the decency if he ever had it before, to campaign in an issue-based dignified manner. He has repeatedly peddled falsehoods against his challengers-Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the extent of attaching racial undertones thereto. I will accept that politics has been rendered an indecent game the world over. That said, I believe Trump has crossed the line and must be put where he belongs. And that is from all the levers of political power. He does not demonstrate the bare minimum qualities of a fit and proper person. Biden and Harris are human like Trump but they have not to my recollection, demonstrated any behaviour of a demeaning nature like has done since so since becoming the President of the United States. Like I said, he is hot-headed, toxic, divisive and not good for progressive democracy. The US I argue very strongly, is better off without Donald J. Trump. His niece Mary Trump has said what you see of her uncle is what you get. I will be sad if he won this election. I am prepared to be persuaded otherwise as always. Judge for Yourself!
Covid-19 is still very much in our midst. Let us religiously comply with Covid-19 health protocols. It is our duty to so for the sake of humanity.
