USA: Trump unravels
The first presidential debate of Monday 26 September 2016 marks the beginning of the end for Donald Trump’s search for the US presidency. Trump, a foul-mouthed billionaire, is the most unlikely presidential nominee by a major party; and his opponent, Hillary Clinton, is the first woman nominee. A strange match-up indeed—and no match, as it proved.
The TV audience was anticipated at 100 million; at the end it came down to about 80 million—still a whopping number by any standard.
Hillary coolly and systematically set forth her proposals for national economic and social reform, and assured America’s foreign allies that America will fulfil their agreements. Trump, on the other hand, was disorganized. He railed and flailed, repeatedly interrupted his opponent, refused to provide direct answers to simple questions, and pursued his pet peeves with extended orations. He was like the parody of a man who left his house burning while he chased a fleeing mouse.
No wonder the TV “talking heads” uniformly ruled Hillary the winner of the debate. Polls from all around the country brought in the same verdict. But Trump, who admits no wrong and never apologizes, proclaimed himself the winner and set up a private online poll with instructions to his followers to vote him the winner. Meanwhile he complained that his microphone malfunctioned (not true) and that it was a deliberate sabotage. He railed against the moderator—until he learned he was a registered Republican; then he went back and forth, now praising him extravagantly, now excoriating him.
Trump’s supporters shamefacedly struggled to explain and excuse him. But gradually, one by one, as day followed night followed day, their accounts began to tally: for weeks they had struggled to prepare the man for this debate; but he resisted all coaching. Trump is a man who takes hardly any advice but his own. He made his fortune in the construction and management of commercial and residential skyscrapers, hotels, casinos and golf courses, and he imagines he knows everything about everything. He refuses to accept that politics and international diplomacy is a different ballgame altogether, and he can’t rustle up the humility to learn from those who know better.
Except for his die-hard supporters who think Trump is the “exceptional outsider,” a divine knight in shining armor sent to save both the jaded, “politically correct” Washington “insiders” and the rest of the bumbling nation, Americans generally are wondering how a character like Trump ever got in the political mix. The Republican Party leadership in particular are scratching their heads, trying to figure out just what to do with him. They pray for a miracle—but every day the man surpasses his record of the day before with some wild pronouncement and wilder behavior.
Trump says again and again that the news media are in a conspiracy against him. This is the perennial view of the Republican Party, of course—they have many bitter words against what they call the “liberal press.” But even the Republican leadership, says Trump, are plotting to rig the elections against him. For Trump, who boasts repeatedly and loudly that he is “a winner!!!”, if ever he fails it is because the polls are rigged! The man is simply paranoid.
Is it surprising, then, that so many of the nation’s leading newspapers have endorsed Hillary Clinton for President? Including, surprisingly, some newspapers that never ever before endorsed a Democratic candidate for President! Some Republican elder statesmen have also endorsed Hillary. Former Republican President Bush the Senior has reportedly vowed to vote for Hillary. His son Jeb Bush, whom Trump insulted and defeated in the Republican primaries, says he will vote but neither for Trump nor Hillary.
Meanwhile the busy-bee reporters and researchers are digging up a lot of dirt under Trump. His Trump Foundation, it turns out, is not properly registered in its home base of New York and not authorized to collect monetary donations as it has been doing for years. Little is known what charities, if any, the foundation assists; what is known is that Trump has used monies donated to the foundation to pay at least one major court fine. In 1998-99 Trump spent money in Cuba exploring plans to build a casino there. In so doing he contravened the law prohibiting US citizens from spending “any money” in Cuba; in other words, he committed a crime. But he repeatedly denies this.
Biggest of all, Trump adamantly refuses to release his Tax Returns. There is no law requiring him to do so; nevertheless, it’s a decades-old practice that every presidential candidate publishes his tax returns so the electorate can be assured that their highest leader follows the law and pays his fair share of the public expenses of the realm. From various side-glimpses it appears that over the years Trump, using various loopholes and tricks, which he boasted were his legitimate rights as a clever businessman, paid little tax—or none at all—which, he says, “makes me smart!”
But it isn’t over yet; there is one vice-presidential and two more presidential debates to go. And then the voting itself on Tuesday November 8th. On that day, America—and the world—will know a bit better what Americans are made of.
Onwuchekwa Jemie