A More Optimistic View On Trump

Image source - Vince Fleming

This article was originally published on Jan 17, 2025.

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Like it or not, Trump is coming into office on the 20th of January. As an ardent liberal myself, I understand why so many of us are irked and terrified of his looming presidency. However, he is what America has voted for for the next four years, and so we across the pond have to be prepared. This article will also explore how Trump maybe isn’t all that bad after all. As a queer minority immigrant myself, I was sad to see America fail to elect VP Harris with a Democratic congress, but alas, Europe has to learn know how to overcome a second term of President Trump.

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The key to understanding Trump’s political philosophy is that he has two main goals. Power for me and prosperity for America. There is a reason why you see Republicans and not Trump riling against agendas such as gay marriage, trans athletes, abortion rights etc. Trump instead champions his America First policies of reducing illegal immigration to better care for Americans, bringing jobs back to America and cutting taxes. Whether his agenda is good is a separate question–Trump does what he thinks is best for him and the country.

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Trump’s foreign policy stances are ones that should be deeply analysed. Looking at his first term, he made several controversial moves, from moving the Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, engaging with Kim Jong-Un, starting a trade war with China and his hostility towards Mexico. But what came of them? No new wars, a fragile peace with North Korea, a trading relationship that is still strong with China, a negotiation for a Remain in Mexico policy with Mexico and a Europe that has started to raise their military spending budget at Trump’s insistence. Perhaps Trump’s adversarial style is what gets things done. Even before his term has begun, Israel and Palestine have negotiated a shaky hostage deal with a Trump-aligned mediator and Greenlandic leaders have been open to negotiating a mining deal. So perhaps Trump’s idea of buying Greenland, and annexing Canada and the Panama Canal isn’t that insane after all. After all, foreign policy during Biden’s policy has been marked with indecision resulting in failure.

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Trump voters voted to improve their own lives, by reducing crime, reducing illegal immigration and strengthening the economy. What the UK and Europe broadly need to do is develop a spine. Just as America has put America first, Europe needs to put Europe first. Europe has to stop leeching off the US and look south and east for other training partners. Europe finally has an opportunity to stop being Robin to America’s Batman and instead be Superman. So perhaps Trump’s presidency won’t be that bad after all. Perhaps he’s just trying to do what he thinks is best for America.