Donald Trump is an enigma, a person who is difficult to understand. So much so that he has effectively divided the US into two factions: Pro-Trump and Anti-Trump. It is a given that he is on his way out of the White House. But the Don despite the court rulings trashing his allegations of massive electoral fraud remains perched in his imaginary throne. He believes that with 74,113,538 Americans voting for him, he is not a spent force, but rather, the bearer of the torch of conservatives to protect the US from socialism and liberal policies.
President-elect Joe Biden inherits a lot of problems that Trump created and Donald, who continues to have influence on the Republican Party, will be on his back throughout his term. The Don will champion those who voted for him -- people living in rural areas, white evangelical Christians, anti-immigrants and those displaced due to US companies relocating to China and other countries.
The leadership of the US in the world stage is in tatters. Trump had a rocky relationship with allies such as Germany, France and Canada. He was friendly with Russia and North Korea. He took jabs at China. He withdrew support to the World Health Organization on this crucial time. He utterly failed in the war against Covid-19. As of Dec. 3, 2020, the US had the highest number of infected individuals (13,822,249) and the highest number of deaths (272,525). Lately, the cases have increased more so that people have been complacent in their celebration of Thanksgiving. President Trump failed to show leadership amidst the crisis. While the US economy may have survived during the pandemic, still there are about 12.6 million people unemployed.
Biden, in an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt, mentioned three areas he would immediately tackle, namely, immigration reform, the environment and economic aid to state and local government reeling from pandemic-induced losses. The first two took a toll during Trump’s presidency, and requires more than band-aid treatment. The economy suffered from the pandemic and spurring more activities to bring the US back to full gear is indeed a priority. But the elephant in the Oval Office is Covid-19. The 272,525 deaths have long surpassed the 58,220 Americans killed in the Vietnam War and nearing the 291,557 military casualties in World War II.
Trump failed to comprehend the seriousness of the pandemic, questioned the issues raised by health experts and had no clear strategy to combat the virus. It seems already too late in the day to fight a losing battle against the virus in the US. The only chance is the roll out of the vaccine, but that requires a system that should test the Biden team. Let us see if the US can recover from its self-inflected wounds courtesy of Donald Trump. It is going to be tough for Joe. The Battle for the Soul of the Nation starts now.