Good riddance to four years of hate, fear and that loathsome leader
TODAY’S the day for the use of a centuries-old saying: ‘Good riddance to bad rubbish.’ And applying it to the outgoing American president Donald Trump.
And even to add a modern phrase: ‘Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.’
We won’t be totally rid of Trump, unfortunately. He is likely to face impeachment hearings, which will keep him in the public eye, but which would also, if he was convicted, prevent him from ever taking office again.
He may face other criminal charges too, if the speculation is correct, for financial issues from before and during his time in office; or for his brazen attempt, recorded and confirmed, to interfere with the outcome of the election process in Georgia.
There may be a reluctance to impeach or prosecute him, for fear of inciting his still very sizeable, and partially dangerous, support. It is damning of the modern USA that his bullying in this regard could be a protection against the due process of the law, as people are scared of him and his mob.
Armageddon
Financial woes may be of more significance to him if he does get a break on facing criminal trials; the main financial backer for his business empire, Deutsche Bank, has had enough, and even if other banks have no ethical issues about dealing with Trump, he may find that they cavil at the thought of engaging with this serial corporate bankrupt, for purely commercial reasons.
If the Trump brand is so toxic that even golf’s PGA won’t play the 2022 US Open at one of his courses, then the banks won’t advance finance that is at risk of not being repaid. Without friends to help him – and we’ll see how many genuine ones he has, if he can no longer deliver – financial Armageddon may loom.
Unfortunately, he is unlikely to shut up. His egotistical addiction to the spotlight means that he is unlikely to retire quietly.
Even if many social media platforms have been closed to him, there will still be television and radio stations who will provide him with the opportunity to vent because he will deliver them ratings.
That said, those opportunities may dwindle too if his audience diminishes and his use to those networks disappears.
Some other carnival barker may take his place, to appeal to the deplorables. There is no doubt though that however horrifying and horrible most of us have found this egotistical monster, and how depressing his impact on the course of American life has been, he has been compelling to observe.
Four years ago, on the day he was inaugurated as president of the United States, I told my radio production team I wanted to run his inauguration speech live on air as he delivered it.
Some doubts were expressed on how interested our listeners would be in what the new president wanted for his country, and anyway, aren’t political speeches boring? However, my instinct was that Trump, the television showman, would take the chance to deliver what he would consider an unforgettable speech. He didn’t disappoint in that regard, even if he disgusted.
It was his famous ‘American carnage’ speech, in which he identified correctly some of the legitimate grievances that many Americans had about how globalisation had impacted upon their quality of life, but which he proposed dealing with by use of a hodge-podge of racist-inspired simplistic solutions that played to the basest of instincts.
One of his predecessors, George W Bush, was observed turning to Hillary Clinton at the end of the speech and whispering (excuse the language but it was his): ‘That was some weird s***.’
Trump could have been even more dangerous than he was had he been more disciplined, but his mad ego got obsessed with media commentary about the size of the crowd at his inauguration, in a sign of things to come.
His obsession with the message has been dangerous and divisive. It encouraged the resurgence of overt racism – Trump’s reaction to the Charlottesville riots being a particular low point – culminating in the seditious behaviour of the Trump-provoked mob that stormed Capitol Hill on January 6. His legacy is also an undermining of US public confidence in free and fair elections.
Without evidence, through a campaign of systematic and deliberate lying, he tarnished the legitimate victory of Joe Biden, who becomes president today, and too many suckers continue to believe and endorse him. The failure of the Republican Party, and the cowardice displayed, in failing to confront Trump’s behaviour, may be explained by the fear of losing his supporters, but it cannot be excused.
Racist
So today we have Biden’s inauguration. It is unlikely that I will play his inauguration speech live in full on radio, like I did Trump’s or Barack Obama’s in 2009. That’s because it is likely to be somewhat dull and worthy and may not hold the listeners’ attention. We will select soundbites and play them later in the programme as we discuss what Biden’s presidency will bring. There’s a good reason for that.
We shouldn’t have enormous hopes for the Biden presidency, although paradoxically that might be a very good thing.
Few politicians deliver on their promises, or the hopes voters have for them. Disappointment brings disenchantment. Obama’s soaring vision of a shared future was inspiring but racists ensured it could not be delivered. Thankfully, Trump did not build his wall with Mexico or implement other measures that would have produced a real carnage.
Trump and his cult followers might mock Biden as ‘Sleepy Joe’, but it may actually help the US to have a moderate figure from the centre leading it, even if unification in the face of such rancour will be difficult to achieve. And a centrist is what he is, despite the lies that have been circulated that he is some kind of hardline socialist, or even communist, the type of ‘red scare’ that cannot be eradicated from US politics. Hopefully, his health remains good, because it is easy to imagine the ugliness of Trump and his supporters if incoming vice-president Kamala Harris has to take charge.
That’s something to worry about on another day. Let’s just enjoy today first.