WHAT TRUMP JUST TOLD THE WORLD

America first, ‘buy American, hire American’

No surprise about U.S. President Donald Trump in his inaugural address Jan. 20. It reflected “anger, demagoguery, protectionism and populism” that filled his campaign rhetoric.

It was so U.S.-focused that the rest of the world must expect America to abandon eventually its policy of coalition-building and international conferences. Which could mean: isolationism and handsoff to problems that arise in other countries but affect world peace and order and may soon hurt Americans in their country and abroad.

The Philippines could suffer from two Trump thrusts: our immigrants and U.S. companies in our country been “stealing” American jobs abroad.

Undocumented Filipinos in the U.S. and aspiring immigrants from the Philippines are directly threatened.

Like other countries trading heavily with the U.S., the new policy could result in sharper Philippine trade deficit.

The 17-minute speech (the shortest since president Jimmy Carter’s in 1977) made clear:

The new administration is anti-establishment and against “Washington” although one wonders how it could wage that policy with his Cabinet members mostly from “the swamp” that he wants “drained” in running the government;

Trump is champion of the small man, whom he plans to benefit from a massive infrastructure program and the jobs he’d bring back from abroad.

He would have no patience for the political process, with those responsible for it seated on the same stage as he spoke.