Opinion | Trump's return highlights pull of economic issues in American society

By Zhou Dewu

Donald Trump has achieved his wish and returns to the White House with a "blemished" record, becoming a new "legend;" he is also the second president to return to the White House after a four-year break, the last being Grover Cleveland in 1885.

Eight years ago, Trump launched a new era of American populism as a "political outsider," turning the joke of running for president into a myth. After entering the White House, he implemented a series of extreme policies, governing through Twitter and acting unpredictably, including withdrawing from international agreements, imposing tariffs, issuing a Muslim ban, and mishandling the pandemic, which sparked public discontent. His maverick style led to widespread disapproval, causing chaos domestically and leaving countries around the world bewildered.

Since officially announcing his bid for the White House in November 2022, Trump has faced four criminal charges, with the "hush money" trial involving adult film star Stormy Daniels being classified as a felony for falsifying business records by a New York grand jury. During this time, he survived two impeachment attempts and two assassination attempts, positioning himself as the "chosen one" favored by God to save America, a notion many voters embraced. In Butler County, Pennsylvania, where Trump was first targeted for assassination, 65% of residents supported him last time, and this time that figure soared above 80%, indicating that his brush with death did not go unnoticed.

For the Democratic Party, this election started with them at a disadvantage.

Biden, despite his commitment to serving only one term, insisted on running, leaving the Democratic Party in a difficult position. The first televised debate between Biden and Trump on June 27 completely exposed Biden's incompetence, as he struggled to articulate his thoughts, revealing his age and leading to the conclusion that the "US election has ended early." In a state of urgency, the Democratic Party pressured Biden, and Kamala Harris was appointed as his running mate, though her elevation to the vice presidency was not entirely due to her own abilities.

During Biden's selection process, party leaders agreed to choose a woman of minority background to reflect the party's diversity and "political correctness," resulting in Harris being selected. Over the past three years, Harris has maintained a low profile and delivered mediocre results. After becoming the official Democratic candidate at the end of July, she struggled to present any substantial achievements, resorting to recycling her past experiences as California's Attorney General. Furthermore, to hide her shortcomings, she intentionally avoided mainstream media interviews, leaving the public with little knowledge about her. Only when the election situation became critical did she venture into "enemy territory" for interviews with right-wing media, but her performance was underwhelming.

Worse still, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict became the last straw for Harris. In Michigan and Wisconsin, a significant number of Arab-American voters expressed deep dissatisfaction with the Biden-Harris administration's pro-Israel stance, as many of their family members, friends, and relatives suffered casualties in the conflict. This emotional disconnect made it difficult for voters to identify with Harris, significantly impacting the Democrats' ability to secure the "blue wall."

In a sense, the Democratic Party has repeated the mistakes of 1968. Back then, Democratic candidate Robert Kennedy was assassinated, and Vice President Humphrey was thrust into the spotlight but ultimately lost to Republican candidate Nixon. Similarly, Vice President Harris has failed to carry the banner this time. Ironically, Robert Kennedy's son has sided with Trump this time.

Trump's return reflects, to some extent, the public's dissatisfaction with the current political system in the US, reaching a point of intolerance, and they are looking to Trump for major reforms through unorthodox means. Whether voters harbor unrealistic fantasies about Trump or are driven by a natural desire for change, the pursuit of ousting the Biden administration and its new representatives has become the goal of many Americans.

Trump's comeback indicates that Americans are more concerned about economic development and their livelihoods than about the hollow concept of democracy. Notably, in recent years, Americans have been plagued by inflation, and Trump has promised to massively deport illegal immigrants and accelerate the return of manufacturing. However, the paradox of economic operations suggests that such actions would directly lead to increased hiring costs, likely contradicting voters' desire to reduce inflation. Trump has also expressed his fondness for the term "tariff" and is prepared to impose a new round of tariffs on the world, which would inevitably shift the burden onto ordinary Americans, making the goal of lowering inflation merely wishful thinking.

There is a saying in China: "Only when you hit the wall will you turn back." This time, the Democrats have hit the "blue wall," losing the White House and reopening a bleeding wound. The next election in four years will still be a contest for the "blue wall." The struggle between the two-party political system in the US has turned a new page, and whether this is a blessing or a curse for the world remains to be seen.

(Source: Ta Kung Pao)

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