Welcome, Mr. Trump

Published in El País
(Spain) on 28 April 2019
by Francisco G. Basterra (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Hannah Bowditch. Edited by Arielle Eirienne.
How time flies, and how we continue to be astonished by aberrant political events. How the most extravagant president in contemporary U.S. history has untangled himself from Russiagate and the obvious signs that he has tried to obstruct justice, yet continues undaunted on his path. He is already preparing for reelection in 2020, when we have yet to digest his unexpected arrival at the White House in 2016. But first, he will defuse the trade wars that he has unleashed. Promoting the impeachment of the president by Congress divides the Democrats. Impossible to achieve, a moral victory for some, but a political defeat is simply a defeat.

Trumpism takes shape in Spain as the far-right political party, Vox, enters parliament. The same walls that protect us from immigrants, the same contempt for the media, women as second-class citizens, competition over who shouts the loudest, weapons for all and the “Reconquest” versus "Make America Great Again." At the end of May, we will see more of the same in the European elections with the New York millionaire’s top students. Welcome, Mr. Trump.

The U.S. is in preelection mode, with 20 Democratic candidates already running in the primaries. The American presidency frequently obeys the law of the pendulum, which benefits polar opposites. After Obama and Donald Trump, who will be next? Who will bring the U.S. back to the multilateral world? There are a large number of female Democratic candidates, socialist Bernie Sanders is running again, and for the first time there is an openly gay candidate, the mayor of a small city in Indiana who hopes to restore Christian values.

After months of doubt, finally, a classic within American politics, Joe Biden, with 36 years as a senator, eight years as vice president to Obama and two failed presidential runs, has declared his candidacy for the White House via a quality campaign video, mirroring the best of Obama. Biden, a Catholic, liberal-moderate and internationalist, declares that he is motivated by the desire to salvage the American republic from the national emergency that Trump has brought about.

Biden, the eternal second, is a politician from another era: he would be 78 years old when he begins his presidency. He arrives with heavy baggage: he supported the war in Iraq, and he had a terrible attitude 30 years ago when he chaired the Senate committee hearings over the case of alleged sexual harassment of black lawyer Anita Hill by then nominee to the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas. He has been denounced by various women as a bully. These are negative liabilities in the #MeToo era. The main problem for Biden will be winning the primaries, where the most liberal activists vote, at a time when the Democratic Party seems to be leaning toward a generational change fueled by more progressive stances. But if he can do it, he would be a good candidate to hamper eight years of Trump. Welcome, Mr. Biden.


Cómo pasa el tiempo y cómo continuamos atónitos ante acontecimientos políticos aberrantes. Cómo el presidente más extravagante de la historia contemporánea de EE UU se ha desliado del Rusiagate y de los signos evidentes de que trató de obstruir la justicia, y continúa impertérrito su camino. Ya prepara su reelección en 2020 cuando todavía no hemos digerido su llegada a la Casa Blanca en 2016, que no supimos prever. Antes, desactivará las guerras comerciales que ha desatado. Promover un impeachment del presidente en el Congreso divide a los demócratas. Imposible de ganar, victoria moral para algunos, pero las derrotas en política solo son derrotas.

La exportación del trumpismo toma cuerpo en España con la llegada al Parlamento de la ultraderecha de Vox. Los mismos muros para protegerse de los migrantes, el mismo desprecio a la prensa, las mujeres en segunda división, la competencia para ver quién la dice más gorda, armas para todos los ciudadanos, y la Reconquista versus Hacer América más Grande de Nuevo. Veremos más de lo mismo en las elecciones europeas de final de mayo con alumnos aventajados del millonario neoyorquino. Bienvenido, Mr. Trump.

EE UU está en modo preelectoral. Ya son 20 los candidatos demócratas apuntados a las primarias. La presidencia americana frecuentemente obedece a la ley del péndulo, que beneficia a los extremos encontrados. Después de Obama, Trump, ¿y después de Trump? ¿Quién hará regresar a EE UU al mundo multilateral? Son mayoría las mujeres demócratas aspirantes, repite el socialista Sanders y, por primera abiertamente, hay un candidato gay, alcalde de una pequeña ciudad de Indiana que ofrece restaurar los valores cristianos.

Tras meses de dudas, por fin un clásico de la política estadounidense, Joe Biden, 36 años de senador, 8 años vicepresidente de Obama y dos intentos presidenciales fallidos, ha declarado su candidatura a la Casa Blanca a través de un vídeo de calidad oratoria, emulando al mejor Obama. Biden, católico, liberal moderado, internacionalista, declara que su motor es el deseo de salvar a la república americana de la emergencia nacional provocada por Trump.

Biden, eterno segundo, es un político de otra era: tendría 78 años al iniciar su presidencia. Llega con una pesada mochila: apoyó la guerra de Irak, tuvo una actitud aciaga cuando hace 30 años presidía la comisión del Senado que examinaba el caso de supuesto acoso sexual del aspirante a juez del Supremo, Clarence Thomas, a la abogada negra Anita Hill. Ha sido denunciado por varias mujeres como achuchador. Pasivos negativos en la era del Metoo. El problema central para Biden será ganar las primarias donde votan los activistas más liberales en un momento en el que el Partido Demócrata parece inclinarse por un relevo generacional alimentado por posiciones más progresistas. Pero si lo hiciera, sería un buen candidato para impedir ocho años de Trump. Bienvenido, Mr. Biden.
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