MAY 4 ― It was with a sinking heart, and not just a small amount of trepidation, that I accepted the current reality: Donald Trump may well become President of the United States of America.
What a year ago I thought was nothing more than a joke, another reality show this time on the world stage, and a given impossibility, is now looking more and more like it is highly possible. I say this because I am no longer confident that there is anyone else who will stand up against him and win.
I have thought over this past year that there was no way this man could possibly win the nomination of his party. It is incredulous to me, as an American, that this could happen.
I do not deny that the anger and frustration the American people have with the way our country is going is not real or even justified, but I thought that we surely could not have sunk to such a level that a man such as Donald Trump could be elected.
As disgusted as I am with the election, I also find myself in a somewhat uncomfortable position of finding myself thankful that it is even possible for someone like Donald Trump to become president; somehow that still touches what is left of American pride and spirit in me.
If a man such as him can become president, somehow our democracy and freedoms are still there. Sadly we are choosing to use those freedoms to elect a scoundrel instead of a legitimately good candidate. And for that I cannot blame Donald Trump, that lies squarely on the shoulders of the electorate of America.
I often feel more like I’m watching a movie about my country than I am watching actual events unfold.
I do not particularly like President Barack Obama and his policies or political ideals. In fact, I find myself disappointed in his lack of leadership for our country.
Obama was elected in a similar political environment, where people were angry. Then they were angry at George Bush; I am not sure the success of a president being elected because of anger is an ideal setting.
While I don’t agree with a lot about him, in my opinion, President Obama elevated the office of President in the US to something special. As the first black president in the US it seemed that our country was taking strides in the right direction.
Though I would disagree with someone being elected simply because of their race, I will always be proud of the fact that President Obama did that, though I did not vote for him. I was proud of my country in those days, not that I wasn’t worried about what would happen, but I was proud that we were moving in a direction that was for the better.
How ignorant I was. How ignorant I have stayed. Living abroad has kept me in a bubble of sorts, I only saw the bits and pieces I saw on the news, I could not feel the frustration or anger that was overflowing in the people of my country.
I will not pretend to fully understand. When I drive through the US, visit our hospitals, walk into our groceries or malls or walk through our public schools, I seriously wonder what it is that people are angry about.
Americans live in one of the wealthiest countries on earth enjoying freedoms and rights which much of the, world does not have. Meanwhile people are dying in many parts of the world from not having enough food, access to water, access to health care, a house to live in, and without jobs that can adequately provide for the very basic needs of feeding their families. Few of these scenarios are being played out in our backyard in the US.
What worries me is not specifically what Donald Trump may be able to do as president in the US. The great thing about the US is that there are checks and balances in place and since he has alienated everyone in our current government, it will be difficult for him to pull off a very successful presidency in terms of making the many ludicrous changes he has talked about making.
What worries me is the impact him being president has on our world, on relationships with other countries, and most especially how a world that tends to look down on Americans for their ignorance and warlike behaviour will now believe that with a greater intensity.
What worries me is how a person who acts like a petulant child will solve problems, meet world leaders, shake the hands of people he doesn’t always agree with, make peace instead of war and build bridges instead of walls.
What worries me is how will a man with a checkered history on morality, a history of being an unscrupulous businessman, an egomaniac, a racist, a man who talks about his accomplishments with women and the size of his genitalia, who demeans women, is angry and crude, who talks badly to anyone who disagrees with him; how will a man like this bring honour to the office of president?
But most of all, I worry for my country who want to put this man in power.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
