Two reasons why Donald Trump must be beaten

THERE is no question that Donald Trump is the most unusual politician to emerge out of the US in my lifetime, and my memories reach back to 1963.

While he represents and personifies almost everything that I find reprehensible, his appeal to millions of Americans is still enormous and one should never underestimate his capacity to survive against all the previous political rules.

It is, however, absolutely vital that he is well beaten by Joe Biden on November 3, vital for the US and for the wider world. Primarily, this is because his whole approach presents existential challenges to the functioning of liberal democracy, which the US has to be a beacon of in a troubled world.

There are two main reasons why this is so deeply disturbing. Firstly, he has deliberately built a culture whereby all facts, or any notion of truth, can be regarded as fake. For democracy to function at all, it is imperative that leaders are held to objective reckoning.

Trump often avoids this, as, in his world, facts have alternatives and the only ones that matter are those that reflect well on him. In April, his ignorant, dangerous and pathetic handling of the pandemic reached the zenith of stupidity when he seriously suggested using bleach on Covid patients.

Secondly, his whole approach to politics is to deepen the already considerable divides in American society. Leaders in a democracy must seek to build consent and heal the social, racial , political and gender divisions in society. He does precisely the opposite.

A US president that denies climate change, withdrawing from world efforts to deal with it, then turns his back on the WHO at a time of unprecedented medical challenge, is a horror show that must soon end.

Biden is not an especially strong candidate, in my view. At almost

78, he is much too old and lacks energy and charisma, but he should still win and must win.

As the widow of John Mccain, a Republican, of course, said recently, only a Democrat, Biden presidency can restore dignity to the US, allowing its ailing democracy to recover from the sickness of Donald Trump.

Ian Richardson, recently retired lecturer in politics,

with a specialism in the US.