78-Year-Old Trump Against a Bullet
Why is the American establishment and, to some extent, the rest of the Western world too frightened by another Trump presidency? Why, though?
Do you notice a trend in the Western political arena? It seems like every politician is parroting the same stance on almost every issue. Those who dare to deviate from this norm are quickly labelled as outcasts or traitors. From Fico in Slovenia, Orban in Hungary, Farage in the UK, AfD in Germany, Le Pen in France, and others. Is Western democracy now a homogenous union of people who share the same goal?
Make no doubt that an assassination was ordered against Trump. By who? That is the million-dollar question—no one can tell—but where to point fingers is not open for debate. America is polarised. Biden could win this thing, but the fact that they are not willing to risk an election may have a lot to say. Do they have a clear indicator that Trump is on his way back to the White House? We all know Trump; he acts like a teenager, and revenge may be lingering on his mind.
A dead Trump begs the question. Cui Bono? Who stands to benefit from it? That answer is as crystal clear as a diamond. If the polls are sacrosanct, a Trump presidency is imminent. But remember 2016? The polls were all Hilary’s way. Donald Trump’s outlook on the world goes against the contemporary Western worldview. He represents a rapidly growing clique disgruntled with the direction, or perhaps more accurately, the abandonment of true Western values, which the left would argue are no longer relevant in a diversified Western unipolar world.
Trump’s view of the world comes partly from Reagan’s political manual. Remember George H.W. Bush’s statement in 1988, which came off Reagan’s popularity and led to his presidency: “I will never apologise for the United States—I don’t care what the facts are.” I’m not an apologise-for-America kind of guy.” He said that when the USS Vincennes mistakenly downed a commercial Iran Air flight, killing 290 civilians. A world where America is the undisputed exception. This view is not very different from that of most American presidents, even Biden. However, Trump’s imposing approach to the viewpoint is nuanced by Biden’s soft landing.
Trump’s impetuous, temperamental attitude gives the establishment that runs the policies of the United States and the West a difficult time. The reckless withdrawal of the JCPOA, the killing of major general Qasem Soleimani, the unnecessary trade wars with China, and the continuous threat to close allies like the Europeans of potential tariffs and discontinuation of NATO, to name a few, sent shockwaves to the establishment and European leadership. The European economies are heavily reliant on the United States. Europe needs a strong America, in which the global south remains weak, disunited, and dependent on the greenback. A weak America spells disunity in Europe and the West. A weak West equals a very weak Europe when China is growing at unprecedented levels, threatening Western hegemony like never before, including in technology.
Speaking of NATO, almost $400 billion has been pledged or spent on Ukraine by the West and NATO, and more is being promised for a prolonged war of attrition whose multifaceted purpose is the weakening of Russia to the benefit of the West, ignoring the flooding pit of Ukrainian soldiers who are dying for nothing. Trump’s willingness to negotiate with Putin and end the war frightens NATO, with the US at its helm. No Western politician is as powerful as the US president. None is as flippant and capricious as Donald Trump. Will he survive to Tuesday, 5 November 2024?
He could probably do so, as his chances have undoubtedly increased. By how much? The next few weeks will tell. How often does one survive such a direct assassination attempt by tilting one’s face at the tenth of a second to dodge a bullet for the upper part of the ear? Butler, Pennsylvania, will go down in history as the day a remarkable event that could change the course of America happened. Trump’s determination to reclaim the White House would shake those who orchestrated the assassination. As fickle as he is, Trump’s White House Part 2 has nudged even closer.
By Ikechukwu ORJI
