How’ll America and the World Remember Donald Trump?

US outgoing president, Donald Trump, is many things in one. The 45^th president, Trump, though negatively, redefined the US. Since coming to power four years ago, despite proving to have had nothing in his toolkit, Trump broke all rulebooks vis-à-vis good governance and trust are concerned. His first hallmark’s the promise of erecting the wall on the border with  and paid by Mexico. Geopolitically, such a take was counterproductive. This, apart from being a product of dodgy and discordant politics, it set the US at loggerheads with almost every country and Americans as well. For, up until now, no border fence’s ever been erected. This isn’t the only promise that Trump vainly made without making good on it. He promised Americans that he’d trough Washington pool full of shady politicos to end up filling it with his broods, in-laws, bootlickers, bootlickers and wheeler dealers. Since most of his appointments were based on nepotism not meritocracy, it’s easy for Trump to hire and fire higgledy-piggledy. Trump didn’t follow any public laid down procedures of hiring and firing. His was to look for the chagrined and mostly incompetent yes men and women–––to politically char,  abuse and misuse–––but not competent colleagues. That’s why he’s leaving office before this materialises.  Furthermore, Trump proved to be an extraordinary daydreamer and self-seeker who ever occupied the White House. Because of promising much and doing nothing or a little, some think; Trump’s a pathological and serial liar as Sen. Bernie Sanders (Al Jazeera, 11/11/2020) once asserted if not an ossified one. Such assertions become true when we remind ourselves of many allegations that Trump once made to end up being proved to mere lies. And his ability and will to deliver had already plateaued at the time he’s voted out after being defeated by president-elect Joe Biden. Up until this moment, Trump’s already proved to be moribund, fallow and lethargic as far as the duties of the president are concerned. There were rumours that he didn’t even attend briefing regularly as the president is duty-bound to constitutionally. In his presidency, Trump had never made any strong speech except just jibba jabba.  He did not run the country as expected rather than just tweeting even in the middle of the night. Essentially, Trump made the presidency nothing but a reality show that cloned and enable him to reach to the apogee of power in the US despite his ineptitude.

            There’s no way one can address Trump’s comportment without touching on his open machoism, misogyny, narcissism, racism and sexism among many Trump’s isms mainly known as Trumpism. Thanks to Trump’s chronic racism, what used to be America’s catch word on the so-called American dream–––that embraced any and everybody–––became American nightmare under Trump. Remember how he barred people from entering based on tugs such as Muslims, rapists, thugs and people from shithole countries among many monikers Trump ascribed to those he racially hated.  Trump used all sorts of abuses and bad language against whomever he deemed to be his enemy.  He quarreled with journos not to mention and called whatever that he didn’t like fake news. To make matters worse, Trump separated toddlers and children from their parents in his drive to prevent immigration to the US. Ironically, he forgot that his mother and grandpa were immigrants who made a killing in the US so as to produce a future president whose two of his wife and ex-wife are foreigners like his parents but not Americans.  Trump’s wife and ex-wife are all foreigners but not Americans except for his second divorced wife Marla Maples.

            If there’s any legacy that Trump leave behind is nothing but merely chaos and out-and-out incompetence at home and abroad. Since coming to power controversially after allegations that there were Russia collusion in elections that saw Trump unbelievably beat Hilary Clinton, Trump proved to be a Russian proxy if not a lackey. His foreign policy wasn’t only incompetent and toxic but also flawed and shambolic. His last disgrace was to forgive convicted criminal allied to him such as Roger Stone, his associate and his former campaign aide George Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty during the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Others are  Paul Manafort, three former Republican lawmakers, including Chris Collins and Duncan Hunter, and four Blackwater guards convicted of killing Iraqi civilians. Similarly, a total of 15 people enjoyed Trump’s presidential pardon illegally.  On presidential pardons, 62%-25%, those surveyed say it would be an abuse of a president's powers if Trump issues a pre-emptive pardon for himself. But most Republicans, 56%-24%, say it would be an appropriate use of his power.

 Generally, Trump turned America into what it likes to call a third world countries by losing almost all allies. Trump embarrassingly embraced dictators in the Middle East and megalomaniacs like Abdel Fateh el Sisi (Egypt), Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel) and partly North Korean Kim Jong Un not to forget his cloner, Vladimir Putin of Russia who stood to lose their leverage in the White House.  For such dictators, Trump became a cheap fixer who helped them to get away with murder as were the case of Saudi Arabian crown prince, Mohamad who stands accused of the murder of journalist and critic Jamal Khashoggi not to mention Egyptian el Sisi who deposed and slaughtered Egyptian only democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi. Practically, Trump behaved even worse than African dictators when it comes to  the misgovernment presidency. To show how some dictators and power seekers took advantage of Trump, Israel will soon have a fourth election in two years after the fall of Trump that’s likely to signify the fall of Netanyahu too.

            Apart from sheer incompetence  Trump will be remembered as a nepotic president any Western country has ever had apart some ancient Pontiffs of Rome. Trump promised Americans he’d drain Washington bayou full of corrupt politicians. Instead,  Trump filled it with family members, thuggish cronies and hangers-on. Essentially, instead of strengthening the institution of presidency, Trump abused and dissed it. And there’s nothing mimicable Trump’s leaving behind. If anything, Trump’s presidency dented America’s image at home and abroad after lacking a policy and stamina to deal with issues that the US was expected to deal with globally. In the homestretch of his presidency, Trump horribly flubbed Covid-19 pandemic and this resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people pointlessly.

            All can be said and tolerated, nothing’ll always linger over Trump’s crown as far as his legacy is concerned is nothing but his illogical knockback to concede defeat. This has been a norm in American democracy and elections that whoever loses concedes to the winner and things move on. Trump becomes the first and only one person to forebodingly act in such a shameless manner. For, never before any outgoing or losing president has ever refused to concede defeat nor questioning the legality of elections. If anything, this is nothing but an attack on America’s democracy. Trump abused and attacked the system he’s elected for and entrusted to protect and uphold.  Ironically, when Trump said the election was rigged, he forgot that his government is the one that convened and presided over it! This shows how parochial and mentally wanting Trump is. Again, why did Americans vote for such an unapt and mordant person to the office of president? Just like any other human society, Americans are fallible just like those they deride and derogatively and disparagingly refer to as the third world and many tags. They’re mortals just like you and me.  What’s more, Trump goes down as a failed president the US has had in recent days. How will the US and the world remember Trump and his legacy? It is easy to tell despite the fact that they’re to blame for failing to see Trump’s ineptitude and weaknesses before voting him to office.

Source: African Executive Magazine today.