By Jeremy Sollars
I’LL say it right at the outset – Donald Trump is a pig.
I lean pretty well to the right of politics – and normally I’m a fan of non-career politicians – and I still don’t like him.
He’s an egomaniac, a bully, a loudmouth and quite possibly has one loose in the top paddock. But he’s won the presidency fair and square, and everyone who’s wailing about it, including those of the left-wing persuasion in this country, need to take a Bex and a have a good lie down, because we’re all stuck with Trump now.
Granted, his acceptance speech was remarkably measured but given his track record measured is not what we can expect him to be down the track when he parks his buttocks behind the desk in the Oval Office.
The US has a unique method of electing its presidents, based around the ‘electoral college’ votes of the 50 states, determined by their population and weighted accordingly.
While Trump won the college vote convincingly, the overall popular vote was very close, with Clinton just slightly ahead. In a direct-election scenario she may well have won. But under the system they use she lost and we all need to accept that and give Trump the opportunity now to make good on his promises, which are considerable.
He’s won because a very large chunk of the US population is fed up with the professional politicians they’ve been governed by for many years now on both sides of their political spectrum.
They’re fed up with the born-to-rule mentality of elite political families of the Bush and Clinton ilk and the dynasties to which they feel so entitled. And who can blame them?
Obviously there were plenty of US voters who got off their bums this time and actually cast a vote who helped get Trump over the line, and their vote is as good as everyone else’s, even if there is a bit of a white trash, “Sweet Home Alabama” flavour to it.
The biggest concern I have – far beyond the immigration and gun issues, as important as they are – is that Trump clearly wants to take America down the isolationist path of some of his predecessors.
History has shown us that when America withdraws into itself, international security – otherwise know as “world peace” – becomes even more of a pipedream, even if their interventions in various parts of the globe are at times misguided or misinformed.
Trump has set himself some massive expectations with his policies, and with likely Republican control of Congress the only real check on his power will be the US Supreme Court, which rules on constitutional matters if they arise.
Like him or loathe him, Trump has happened, and we may as well all buckle up and settle in for the ride, as wild and potentially whacky as it may be.
As Winston Churchill said: “The Americans will always do the right thing … after they’ve exhausted all the alternatives”.
