ANALYSIS – Trump’s win over Clinton took many by surprise. A man who is considered selfish, racist and a hypocrite by many, with such a limited view that he can’t see beyond the concerns of himself will rule the strongest country on earth when he takes over from Obama now in January. Here is what our Turkey Correspondent observes.
Some believe the reason for his win is because his supporters were fed up with America’s current system. They thought Trump would change it as he’s not a politician but a businessman. As well as that, most of his supporters had a lack of education unlike Clinton, who appealed to the richer states with more well educated people. Another thing is that his extreme views capture his audience in a way Clinton didn’t do. A reason which I think sums it up is that, many of his supporters take him seriously, whereas his opponents and observers around the world take him literally. For example, his audience hears him say “I’m going to build a wall around Mexico”, something most people would think of that as a shocking if taken literally. But his supporters hear him say “I’m going to make the U.S have better immigration policies” – they take him seriously.
Unfortunately for Trump, unless he picks good advisers, there will be trouble. Trump stated that having been a businessman has given him good preparation for being a president. But in fact these are two different things. Only when things are fiendishly complicated does it arrive at the presidents desk. But in his current mind-set Trump is looking as if he is going to treat being the U.S president too simply. His current foreign policy wants to pull out of deals with other countries and focus more on America. For example, not wanting to carry on cheap manufacturing trades with China. This would cause problems for the poorer citizens of America as they would have to pay more for manufactured products. Also Trump’s idea of making friends with the other super powers on the planet would mean there would be nobody to keep Russia in check (Trump being on their side). Lastly, his short temper would mean that he might turn radical if he gets worked up. He needs to remember to stay focussed on America and what might happen in the future rather than on himself and what’s happening right now.