Nwabueze Akabogu
On Tuesday 3rd November 2020, the United States of America (USA) once again demonstrated in an unmistakable term to the global community that democracy remains the best system of government in the world whereby strong institutions could not easily be manipulated or undermined by strong men in power. On that historic day, the people of the U.S spoke abundantly loud and clear that the defeated incumbent President Donald Trump could not undermine their hard earned freedom and liberty which they had enjoyed for over two hundred years ago. The general outcome, of the recently concluded Presidential election had therefore proved that the globally acclaimed American democracy had all the necessary safe guards against any tyrannical or fascist tendencies. The American founding fathers in their wisdom had put in place strong institutions with adequate safe guards or mechanism to withstand or absorb any possible shock from any potential anti democratic forces as clearly manifested during the past four years of Donald Trump’s Presidency which obviously was characterized by gross impunity and fascist tendencies.
The 2020 Presidential election campaigns in the build up to the 3rd November election had witnessed the most acrimonious, divisive, bizarre, intemperate and uncouth rhetoric in the history of electioneering campaigns in the U.S.
President Trump who apparently was under intense pressure and desperation threw every caution, decency and decorum to the winds as he often launched severe verbal attacks on his Democratic Party main rival and former Vice President Joe Biden now President-elect. President Trump obviously exhibited his now familiar and notorious antics during the two televised debates with his Democratic Party main rival Joe Biden to the utter disgust and embarrassment of millions of viewers who watched President Trump’s un-presidential conduct during the historic debates. In clear contrast however, President-elect Joseph .R. Biden Jnr admirably conducted himself in the most dignified manner and composure as he wisely restrained himself from responding to the tantrums and personal attacks from President Trump but rather had focused his campaign agenda on the issue at hand which is the deadly COVID 19 Pandemic that has continued to ravage several American cities and towns with no possible solution insight to the devastating pandemic. As at today, the U.S had recorded more than two hundred thousand deaths occasioned by the dreaded COVID 19 Pandemic with more than ten million people already infected by the deadly virus.
It is no gainsaying the fact that the outgoing President Trump seem to have squandered the wonderful opportunities in his first term in office by unfortunately running the Presidency as a reality show characterized by unprecedented turmoil and controversies in the White House. Trump’s Presidency could rightly be described as the most unusual, chaotic and lacking in focus and vision even as President Trump depended heavily on his populist agenda of “America first” and “to make America great again” which had effectively isolated the U.S from her traditional and trusted allies such as: NATO, G7, E.U, UNESCO, W.H.O and other international organizations with which the U.S were united to promote world peace and understanding among nations. President Trump during his Presidency, had unilaterally abrogated all international treaties and obligations which the U.S had freely entered into with her partners and allies prior to the advent of Trump’s Presidency in 2016 such as: (a) Iran nuclear treaty which was signed after intensive negotiations by five great nations otherwise known as 5+P1 and which lasted for about five years before the historic agreement was secured (b) the Paris climate change accord which was aimed at mitigating the devastating effects of global warming. (c) NATO, (d) UNESCO, (e) W.H.O (f) W.T.O etc. Trump’s Presidency was simply obsessed with the pursuit of narrow and selfish agenda to the detriment of the U.S role as a global Super Power and leader of the free world.
On the home front, President Trump’s administration had terribly polarized the America Society along political and racial divide as exemplified by the recent incidents of police brutality against the hapless African Americans often referred to as people of colour emboldened by the deeply entrenched white establishment which is in total control of the system and instrument of power in American Society. President Trump had severally been described as unstable, eccentric, immature, egocentric, divisive, demagogue and unpredictable leader who tacitly supported and encouraged the white supremacist organization in the U.S as was witnessed in the most recent killing of the black American George Floyd by the white police officers. The incident prompted spontaneous protests across American cities and even across the entire globe against police brutality on innocent and defenseless black American citizens in the U.S.
As the Presidential election result was officially made public on Saturday 7th November 2020 and former Vice President Joe Biden emerged as the 46th U.S President in the keenly contested race with 75 million plus popular votes as against 71 million plus votes scored by the outgoing President Trump and with 279 electoral college votes against 214 votes scored by President Trump, spontaneous and wild jubilations erupted across many U.S cities. As at press time however, counting of votes was still in progress in some States commonly referred to as key battle ground States and the final collation of the votes would not be known until all the ballots were sorted out and counted in the next ten days or so.
Expectedly, congratulatory messages from world leaders to the President-elect Joe Biden and his Vice President-elect Kamala Harris had begun to pour in from German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, President Emmanuel Macron of France, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the European Union (EU), South African President, Ramaphosa, President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, President Buhari of Nigeria among other world leaders. As at press time however, some other world leaders such as President Putin of Russia and the Chinese President X1 Jing Pin were still watching as the dramatic political events in the U.S continue to unfold.
Meanwhile, the outgoing President Trump in his characteristic and true to type behavior has out rightly rejected the outcome of the Presidential polls alleging massive fraud and vowed to challenge the result in the U.S Supreme Court on Monday 9th November 2020. According to Presidential sources, President Trump had already assembled his legal team for the epic legal battle which some political analysts had already dismissed as an exercise in futility and deliberate attempt to frustrate peaceful transition and transfer of power insisting that President Trump could not fault the age long and time tested U.S electoral system. Nevertheless, some political commentators had advised President Trump to concede defeat in view of the margin of the victory of President-elect Joe Biden as well as the wild Jubilation of the Americans on the outcome of the election which was seen as the true reflection of the will of the American people. The immediate positive reaction by the world leaders as well as notable Republican Party leaders such as Senator Ronney, Former President George Bush Jnr, Governor Bush, among others were clear indication that the U.S electoral system could not be faulted. The leadership of the Republican Party or GOP should do everything in its powers to simply preserve and protect the American democracy and immediately accept the outcome of the election and support the orderly and smooth transition which is the age long tradition and hallmark of the American democracy. Posterity and future generations would certainly judge the Republican Party by its act of commission or omission in the current Trump’s intransigence which is a great tragedy in the world’s acclaimed US democracy.
Trump’s Presidency had proven to be a monumental disaster for the American people even as President Trump on assumption of office in 2016 was unquestionably a green horse who lacked the requisite experience in governance when he ventured into the murky waters of the American politics from the corporate world as a Multi Billionaire businessman.
Nze Akabogu (JP) writes from Enugwu-Ukwu, Anambra State