The Trump Phenomenon
Published in ListÃn Diario
(Dominican Republic) on 7 November 2020
by Ellis Pérez (link to
original)
Without a doubt, Donald Trump’s election as president in 2016 revolutionized political norms in his country. With no previous political experience but full of magnetism and charisma, and in possession of an exceptional talent for managing publicity both on TV and in real life, he proved to be a snake charmer from the beginning.
With his cavalier style as he flaunted rules and norms and showed disdain for the media, he was dismissed from the beginning and not considered a serious Republican candidate. But he eliminated his rivals one by one, until to the shock of many, he became the party’s nominee. For her part, Hillary Clinton remained confident that her campaign was under control. Many respected her as the former first lady, a former secretary of state under Barack Obama, and the stoic spouse of a cheating husband during the Monica Lewinsky affair. Clinton received 3 million more popular votes than her opponent, but as a result of the unique American institution known as the Electoral College, Trump was elected.
Trump’s style in office has resembled the style of certain Latin American presidents, especially those known for their ostentatious behavior. Surely those of us in Latin America can think of a few examples. This is the kind of leader who is usually not reelected, something that has just happened in the United States. And while the loser claims fraud, we just sit back and remember the old saw: A bell can’t be unrung.
Trump might have been a useful president for us in the Dominican Republic. There are many reasons, including the fact that he knew the country, and that our president, Luis Abinader, had a direct link to the White House through his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Now, we need to evaluate new opportunities, like our connection to the recently reelected Rep. Adriano Espaillat and Tom Perez, chairman of the Democratic National Committee who is of Dominican origin and likely to be given an influential position in Joe Biden’s administration.
It’s easy to conclude that Trump wasn’t knocked out by COVID-19, but by Biden.
With his cavalier style as he flaunted rules and norms and showed disdain for the media, he was dismissed from the beginning and not considered a serious Republican candidate. But he eliminated his rivals one by one, until to the shock of many, he became the party’s nominee. For her part, Hillary Clinton remained confident that her campaign was under control. Many respected her as the former first lady, a former secretary of state under Barack Obama, and the stoic spouse of a cheating husband during the Monica Lewinsky affair. Clinton received 3 million more popular votes than her opponent, but as a result of the unique American institution known as the Electoral College, Trump was elected.
Trump’s style in office has resembled the style of certain Latin American presidents, especially those known for their ostentatious behavior. Surely those of us in Latin America can think of a few examples. This is the kind of leader who is usually not reelected, something that has just happened in the United States. And while the loser claims fraud, we just sit back and remember the old saw: A bell can’t be unrung.
Trump might have been a useful president for us in the Dominican Republic. There are many reasons, including the fact that he knew the country, and that our president, Luis Abinader, had a direct link to the White House through his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Now, we need to evaluate new opportunities, like our connection to the recently reelected Rep. Adriano Espaillat and Tom Perez, chairman of the Democratic National Committee who is of Dominican origin and likely to be given an influential position in Joe Biden’s administration.
It’s easy to conclude that Trump wasn’t knocked out by COVID-19, but by Biden.
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