Elections in other countries are of passing interest to most Australians, but a return of Donald Trump to the US presidential election would be a disaster for democracy, international relations and the war in Ukraine.
Former President Donald Trump in Iowa.credit: AP
His re-election would further polarize and shock people in his unfortunate land, and his paradoxical penchant for demonstrating contempt for allies would rewrite Australia's relationship with the United States.
However, given the years of turmoil and tragedy he imposed on his country during his first presidential term, it is difficult to believe that he is leading the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Some opinion polls indicate that he is ahead of President Joe Biden.
Everyone knows what they're getting with Trump. The temperament and character he has displayed as a developer, reality TV performer, president, political naysayer and denier make him completely unfit to return to office.
Trump is all that remains of his four years in power. He did not build anything for the future. But 400,000 died from Covid-19 during his presidency; His refusal to confront the virus with a little bleach has led to the richest nation recording nearly 1.2 million deaths in total from Covid-19. He has been accused twice and made lies, personal attacks and insults his common political language. He showed such astonishing contempt for the rule of law that, in his own words, his second presidency threatened America's existence. Internationally, he created chaos, cajoling Russian, North Korean and Chinese despots and calling for the abandonment of NATO and Ukraine.
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Out of office, Trump has spent the past four years flapping his coat in front of his coterie of gullible fans, maintaining his version of winning the 2020 election. Meanwhile, a slew of accusations and ongoing lawsuits are mounting: They cover his business dealings, his sex life, his taxes, and his behavior when he stormed out. His supporters at the Capitol in Washington in January 2021 – 14 days before Biden was sworn into office.
Biden's victory was do-or-die for Democrats, but the party failed to seize the opportunity to ensure that Biden's age and abilities did not become a concern for many American voters and for us. Democrats should have been realistic enough to avoid such a mistake in succession planning instead of leaving their nominee buoyed by his years of experience.
The media also faces major challenges facing Trump's tyrant. Many mainstream media outlets failed to spot the lurking monster and sacked him and his supporters in 2016. A big mistake. Trump rallied them on the campaign trail as the fake news media, and now mainstream media bashing is as American as apple pie.
