DONALD Trump, Boris Johnson, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are among the most prominent leaders of the world today. These four have been hugging headlines in their respective countries, as well as international media for different reasons.
After graduating from his TV show, The Apprentice, the US President has treated the public with a self-directed reality show on being the leader of the most powerful country in the world. The Donald Trump Show is unprecedented. It has all the elements of a runaway hit series. But will the show come to an abrupt halt? The move by the US Congress to impeach the Don for repeatedly pushing the president of Ukraine to investigate former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter is underway. Trump won’t easily give up without a fight. We will be treated to prime time television starring Donald Trump. Love him or hate him.
In the United Kingdom, there is Prime Minister Boris Johnson whose hair style is as interesting as that of Trump. The former mayor of London enjoys the limelight, more so that he promised to do what predecessor Teresa May failed to deliver: the Brexit Plan. Unfortunately, he has fallen flat on his face. The British Supreme Court rebuked him for suspending Parliament, while the European Union is not convinced of his offer. If that is pressure enough, Johnson is facing allegations of groping women and misusing public funds. The British tabloids are in a frenzy.
In contrast, the leaders of Russia and China are at the height of their powers. Putin has strengthened Russia’s influence in Eastern Europe. Former CIA director, David Petraeus, told CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick: “One is the greatest gift to Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) since the end of the Cold War and that’s Vladimir Putin and his aggressive actions which has given Nato a reason to live again, if you will, in a very significant way.” For Putin that statement is a compliment, an acknowledgment not only of his leadership, but of the re-emergence of Russia as a superpower, long after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
China’s Xi Jinping showed off his country’s military might during the Parade on the 70th anniversary of communist rule. In his speech, he declared that “no force can stop the Chinese people and the Chinese nation forging ahead.” While he could have meant that for economic development, others interpreted this as a threat, as he remarked, “The complete reunification of the motherland is an inevitable trend; it is what the greater national interests entail and what all Chinese people aspire for. No one and no force can ever stop it!”
While Putin and Xi Jinping are marching forward with their people, Trump and Johnson are fighting for their political survival, leaving their citizens in disarray.