Trump played hardball – and we should too

THE only surprising thing about Donald Trump’s inaugural speech as 45th president of the United States was the reaction to it. Yes, it was rousing and bitter, populist and negative. The language was not florid but it certainly was one thing – it was consistent.

Liberals scoffed when Trump announced his bid for the presidency. They sniggered when he won the Republican primary. And, when the sniggering died down after he actually won the general election, they suddenly assumed he would automatically become more presidential, more inclusive, less divisive.

Why? Trump won because his message, whether you agree with it or not, was clear and simple. Make America Great Again is a genius slogan. We may yet find out it was a hollow boast but it is hard to deny that those four words meant more to a huge swathe of forgotten voters than the sort of detailed policy platforms other candidates put forward.

What we saw from President Trump on Friday was exactly what we have come to expect, a brash appeal to patriotism and the pledge to put America first, based on a policy of isolationism.

So how will we deal with this presidency? Well, certainly not with the protests and online abuse of the past two days. It is time to accept the reality of his tenure, to understand it and then to deal with it. Much of the commentary has been juvenile and shrill, characterised by panic and anger rather than serious reflection.

Well that widely dreaded presidency has now begun and President Trump’s reiterated intention to bring overseas jobs back to the United States is deeply concerning for Ireland, where 400,000 jobs depend on US investment here.

That this came days after Theresa May outlined her plans for a hard Brexit leaves us squeezed between the two most vivid examples of the consequences of the new nationalist populism that is spreading across the world.

The new reality in these countries is that swathes of their populations have heard the message and want it implemented – they want to see America First, Britain First and their foreign obligations confined only to what will be directly beneficial at home.

That is not a reprehensible ambition – it is one we also need to adopt. We have for too long been the good boys and girls of Europe, and while we did well out of EU membership, with our new motorways and pristine farms, the benefits were negated when we accepted a ludicrous amount of sovereign debt to protect foreign banks and bondholders.

We owe the EU nothing. Instead, we must look at the realities of the new world and bang down doors in Washington DC and Brussels to put our own case. If the EU doesn’t listen, it is time for threats. And if they don’t give us what we want we must countenance following the UK out the door.

We need a dedicated Brexit minister and a clear strategy – a strategy as simple as Make America Great Again – to put the interests of Ireland first. This does not mean an end to our humanitarian work, our peacekeeping and refugee rescues or a betrayal of our innate decency and respect. It’s just that we need strong leadership to announce to our neighbours that if they are going to put themselves first, so are we.