Doctor Donald and Mister Trump

Published in Les Echos
(France) on 6 February 2019
by Jacques Hubert-Rodier (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Izzy Okparanta. Edited by Patricia Simoni.
Donald Trump played the unity card in front of Congress. But division is never far.

Donald Trump has a double. In his annual State of the Union speech, the 45th president of the United States played the unity card. With words that would have been embraced by his predecessor Barack Obama, “build bridges,” “heal old wounds,” “find solutions together,” he appeared before Congress in a better light and above party affiliations, where his Democratic opposition has a majority in the House of Representatives. “The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda. It is the agenda of the American people,” he said, in a vapid entreaty indicative of the kind of performance in which getting applause is more important than talking about big issues.

But smooth talk can’t hide the “real Donald Trump” for long: the @realDonaldTrump of Twitter. Admittedly, he hasn’t declared a state of emergency to obtain a budget for building “his” wall along the Mexican border, as certain people dreaded.* Admittedly, he didn’t announce the U.S. exit from NATO or from a new alliance. But he showed his true colors as he denounced “ridiculous” worries on supposed links between his 2016 presidential campaign and Russia or in continuing to denounce, in the same sentence, “illegal immigration,” and “the ruthless trafficking of human beings, the drug cartels, the dealers.”

And, according to American media, before delivering his speech, he didn’t miss a chance to send vengeful tweets against leaders of the Democratic Party and to insult Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader. Because Trump has a concern of being in a free fall in the polls after the partial closure of the federal government: the shutdown, a power struggle he lost. After having turned his back on centrists and moderate Republicans, he’s now obliged to focus on the main core of his electorate. Yet, with a Democratic majority in the House, the task will not be easy. Doctor Donald might hide Mister

Editor’s Note: Since the writing of this article, Trump has declared a state of emergency.


Donald Trump a joué devant le Congrès la carte de l'unité. Mais la division n'est jamais loin.

Donald Trump a un double. Dans le traditionnel discours sur l'Etat de l'Union, le 45e président des Etats-Unis a joué la carte de l'unité. Avec des mots que n'aurait pas reniés son prédécesseur Barack Obama, « construire des ponts », « cicatriser de vieilles blessures », « trouver ensemble des solutions », il est apparu devant le Congrès où son opposition démocrate est majoritaire à la Chambre des représentants, sous un meilleur jour s'élevant au-dessus des partis. Il s'agit « d'un programme ni démocrate, ni républicain, mais un programme pour le peuple américain », a-t-il dit. Une litanie un peu mièvre qui compose ce genre d'exercice où obtenir des applaudissements de la part des congressistes est parfois plus important que d'annoncer de grandes choses.

Mais le discours lénifiant ne peut pas masquer longtemps le « véritable Donald Trump », le @realDonaldTrump de Twitter. Certes il n'a pas déclaré un état d'urgence pour parvenir à obtenir un budget pour construire « son » mur de séparation avec le Mexique, comme certains le redoutaient. Certes il n'a pas annoncé une sortie des Etats-Unis de l'OTAN ou d'une nouvelle alliance . Mais la nature revient au galop lorsqu'il dénonce les enquêtes « ridicules » sur des liens supposés entre sa campagne électorale de 2016 et la Russie ou encore en dénonçant dans la même phrase « l'immigration illégale », « les impitoyables trafiquants d'êtres humains, les cartels de la drogue, les dealers ». Et avant de prononcer son discours, il n'a pas manqué de lancé des tweets vengeurs contre les dirigeants démocrates ou, selon les médias américains, d'insulter Chuck Schumer, le leader de l'opposition au sénat . Car Donald Trump a un souci : celui d'être en chute libre dans les sondages après la fermeture partielle du gouvernement fédéral, le « shutdown » . Un bras de fer qu'il a perdu. Ce qui après avoir tourné le dos aux centristes et aux Républicains modérés, l'oblige à se recentrer sur le noyau dur de son électorat. Or avec une majorité démocrate à la Chambre, ce n'est pas gagné. Docteur Donald ne peut cacher longtemps Mister Trump.
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