FOR those of us viewing the apparent chaos and confusion in Washington with bemusement and considerable irritation, it seems we are watching a train wreck in slow motion. But that’s not how it appears to millions of Trump supporters as 87 per cent of registered Republicans think their president is doing what should have been done much earlier, whether it’s tax cuts for the rich, wrecking the Iran nuclear deal or trashing Obama’s environmental policies. For them, Trump is making “America great again”.
Whenever I came across interviews with Americans who voted for Trump in the so-called rustbelt — the industrially devastated areas that have suffered most from outsourcing jobs — I could understand their anger and frustration. The same dynamics drove the Brexit vote. But the high level of support Trump continues to enjoy was a source of continuing surprise.
It wasn’t until I watched a couple of BBC episodes featuring the British politician Ed Balls in Travels in Trumpland that I began to understand the reasons behind the Trump phenomenon. Balls was secretary for education in the last Labour government, and is the last person I would have expected to go toe to toe with a professional wrestler, or, indeed, take a charge from a Taser stun gun at a police training academy. Needless to say, the Taser knocked him out.
During the course of his travels in the Deep South, he speaks to many working class Americans — or rednecks as they are called in the coastal cities. So why, he asks, do you continue to support Trump when he is clearly guilty of so many sexual transgressions? Invariably, they reply that while he’s no saint, he is benefiting people like them. One young man says he’s getting a 100 dollars a month more, and is in line for a bonus. His father adds that Americans can walk tall again. Others, interviewed in small cities, ask Balls whether it’s more important to stop nuclear proliferation in North Korea and Iran, or be a perfect human being?
Perhaps the most revealing insights into Trump’s support at the other end of the Republican spectrum came from the few days Balls spent with a wealthy family in Fort Lauderdale. In a series of conversations with his hostess, the sense of entitlement, smugness and satisfaction over Trump’s tax cuts that have enriched the billionaire class came through loud and clear.
Balls is taken by his hostess to a glittering fundraiser at Mar a Lago, the Trump retreat where he entertains lavishly. Here, he rubs shoulders with Trump’s son who is deputising for the president. Next morning, he gets into an argument with his hostess about America’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, and its possible repercussions. The hostess is clearly annoyed at her guest’s sharp questions. Let it not be forgotten that Florida is a heavily Jewish, pro-Israel state that voted for Trump in large numbers.
While waiting for the next episode of the series, I am beginning to understand the basis of the support for a truly bizarre American president. The rest of the world sees a wild man in the White House demolishing the post-Second World war structures with impunity, tweet by tweet. But his millions of supporters cheer him on for sticking to his election pledges, and urge him to do more. They also deplore the attacks launched on him by the liberal ‘fake news’ media outlets.
Such is the polarisation in America today that it reminds me of the situation in Pakistan where two (or even three) large groupings have formed to confront each other. With the mid-term elections looming in November, the Democrats are gearing up to seize control of the House of Representatives. Should they do so, they will be able to launch a series of investigations against Trump. There has been much talk of impeachment, but under the rules, it will take a simple majority in the house to trigger proceedings. However, the Democrats would require a two-thirds majority in the Senate to actually impeach the president. Currently, this is a virtual impossibility as the Democrats have a minority of two in the upper chamber.
And so the partisan battle will grind on, with the next presidential cycle beginning next year. The Democrats appear to have no viable candidate strong enough to mount a credible challenge, so we might have to get used to the idea of four more years of Trump until early 2025. How far the world can sustain such an extended period of Twitter assaults remains to be seen. But from a purely American perspective, the stock market is soaring to new heights, while employment has reached a peak.
Given these economic realities, it is hard to blame Trump’s supporters for their resolute backing for his policies. As he said repeatedly during the campaign, he was running for the American presidency, not the world’s. And yet, like it or not, America has long played a leadership role on the global stage. If it withdraws, as Trump has often pledged, who will fill the vacuum?
As it is, the world is a hugely messy and violent place currently, and for the most powerful global superpower to withdraw into “Fortress America” will cause a further descent into local rivalry and bloodshed. Smaller regional powers, unchecked by America, will be at each other’s throats before long. Granted, many of the problems we face today can be laid at Washington’s door, especially those in the Middle East. But until we can empower the UN, America remains an indispensible nation, much as we detest Trump.
Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2018
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