Will Donald Trump, the President of the United States, turn America’s clock back to the 1960s? When the US defeated racism almost six decades ago, it adopted the slogan “Skill not Skin”. However, the executive orders, signed by Trump will distort the long-standing reputation of America as a haven for freedom.
With his orders that involve pulling out of the transatlantic free trade deal, immigration ban, imposing taxes on companies that make products overseas and ban of refugees, the US will no longer be seen as the beacon of the new world, neither will it be considered an example by other countries to emulate.
Even worse, Trump banned visitors from seven Muslim countries, including six Arab states, from entering the US. He also cancelled Obamacare, a health-care cover that insured millions of Americans with low incomes. Trump is also considering the revision of the organised immigration system.
All these are signs that writing about Trump is as difficult as riding a bicycle blindfold. Many observers say that a powerful and vibrant country like America, should not be led and driven the way Trump does now — especially a country with such huge influence, innovation and dominance. This raises a logical and legitimate question: Does a person understand the results of his actions? Undoubtedly, Trump knows exactly what he is doing and what would the outcome be.
Given his first two weeks in office, it is quite possible that Trump’s actions will prove detrimental in the long run. The US President believes that many problems can be solved with the use of the rapid technology, where factories can be run by machines and dismissal of workers will become a reality.
Although this step may lead to isolation and insularity, this does not seem to be particularly problematic for the President and other right-wing politicians. Trump’s era may be the golden period for the extreme right, one that accords to it a long-awaited new lease of life.
It was not a coincidence that the first visitor to Trump after his win was Nigel Farage, leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party, who had led the campaign for Britain to leave the European Union. During the meeting, they discussed, among other important topics, how former US president Barack Obama had removed the statue of former British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill from the conference room in the White House and replaced it with the picture of Martin Luther King. “How dare Obama replace the statue of a white Englishman with the picture of a black man?”
Logically, the question should be how both Trump and Farage had the gall to speak in such an appalling manner in the 21st century. Francis Fukuyama, while welcoming the fall of the Berlin wall, wrote that the fall of the Berlin Wall marked the beginning of the declaration of globalisation).
Today, Fukayama seems very pessimistic about the wall, which will be built along the border with Mexico. The Mexico Wall will mark an end of globalisation. Trump’s presidency will mark and end of a world in which the US was seen as the symbol of democracy. Trump’s term of four years, which may be followed by another four years, will make the US isolated from the outside world and damage its own social fabric. This warns us, Arabs, of unpleasant things. Hence, we must learn the Russian language in preparation for the future.
Most political observers agree that Trump will commit more errors in the next 100 days and what we have seen until now is just the tip of the iceberg. The worst is yet to come. The famous proverb “Tell me how you think, I tell you who you are, what will you do” applies well to Trump, who has exposed his intentions and thoughts. The world may still take some time to accustom to the fact that a brash businessman, with no diplomatic or political ethic, has come to occupy the world’s most important office.
Mohammad Hassan Al Harbi is a renowned columnist and author whose writings cover various fields ranging from media studies to education.
