BY ISIDOROS KARDERINIS

The
November 3, 2020, presidential election was arguably the most
important election in USA postwar history. In these elections,
moreover, the participation of American voters was the largest since
1900, demonstrating the resurgence of their political interest and
the strongly polarizing climate that prevailed in the country. Αt
the same time Joe Biden may have won the popular vote (4.5 million
more votes than Trump) and the necessary electors, but Donald Trump
has shown great resilience, having in fact against him almost all the
media, the vast majority of Hollywood and the whole established.

These
elections showed the deep division in the United States, which in
many places led to extremely marginal election results. The intense
confrontation between the two sides and the extreme rhetoric and
practice is not an isolated event and may deepen even further, having
a negative impact on the country.

The
reasons for Trump's electoral resilience are due to the fact that
President Trump had adopted an anti-systemic rhetoric of complaint of
the elites, to which he however belongs, as well as an aggressive
tactic against the forces of globalization, aspects that touched
strongly large sections of the middle class and of course the working
class.

So,
to the unemployed, to the people who feel they have no voice, to the
provincials who are ridiculed for their manners and customs by
arrogant metropolitan residents, even to citizens belonging to
minorities but also to all large communities, such as African
Americans. and Latins, Donald Trump's speech has found and continues
to find great resonance. And this is despite the fact that all the
movements for the protection of rights (black lives matter, etc.)
were clearly against him.

And
if the coronavirus pandemic had not occurred and the second wave had
not broken out, which is hitting the United States as violently as
the first, Donald Trump would have easily won the elections. Thus,
after the first three years of positive economic performances of the
Trump administration, the March lockdown caused the closure of many
small and medium-sized enterprises, while more than 20 million
Americans were suddenly left without a job.

And
Donald Trump would certainly have won the presidential election
without the health crisis as Joe Biden, who expresses the neoliberal
internationalism, the related globalization process and the "open
society" of NGOs and the very powerful economic institutions
such as George Soros and Bill Gates foundations etc., clearly seemed
to have run out of forces, proposals and slogans before it even
entered the finish line.

Trump's
political opponents and most analysts and pollsters had focused on
the arrogant and selfish traits of his personality, an eccentric and
highly impulsive no doubt billionaire, and of course they were wrong
in believing that he would be defeated with a big difference.
Trumpism as an ideological and social phenomenon is certain,
therefore, that it has not left, is present and will continue to
exist. Trump is not just a parenthesis in US political history but
expresses specific distinct trends in American society and the
bourgeoisie.

The
Americans citizens want to prosper economically in a country where
social peace, order and security will prevail. Due to globalization,
many industrial units have left for poor countries where there is a
cheap labor force. So, the US working class was greatly hurt. Trump
was the one who demanded the return of the factories to his country,
putting the USA and the American people first, in the context of the
ideological tendency of ethnocentric conservatism.

And
to other countries, especially the powerful ones, may not like the
politics of "America First", but the same is not the case
with the average American citizen, notably in deep America and the
central states.

On
January 20, Joe Biden will sit in his chair at the Oval Office with
Kamala Harris, in the position of Vice President, for the first time
in office, a woman of African, Jamaican and Indian descent. During
his term and based on what he said the United States will return to
the Paris Climate Treaty, according to which the minimum goal of the
states is to keep the temperature at plus 2 degrees Celsius (+2 C),
and that will be a positive development, as the climate change is not
a "myth". And this can be easily seen if one takes a look
at the extreme weather phenomena that occur on the planet. Let us not
forget that the United States is the second largest polluter in the
world after China.

Also,
multilateral organisms, such as e.g. NATO, the UN and its offshoots,
which have been strongly challenged by outgoing President Trump, will
likely be treated differently by Joe Biden's administration, but US
relations with its European allies may move in other directions.

It
should be noted at this point that Donald Trump had repeatedly
threatened to withdraw the United States from NATO and reduce its
contribution if other members showed no willingness to increase their
spending on the organization. Germany-US relations have also been
strained for the past four years, with Trump threatening the German
car industry and the European Union as a whole several times with
duties. Washington's relations with Brussels were also frozen after
its decision to withdraw the United States from international climate
agreements and Iran over its nuclear program.

However,
if the Republicans eventually win control of the Senate, it will
cause many deep problems for the new President Joe Biden, as he will
block most of his legislative agenda.

In
closing, I would like to emphasize that the predominance of Joe
Biden, who has also starred in all the pathogenic characteristics
that led America to its current decline - that is, widespread social
inequalities, the problematic welfare state, the favor to the strong
economic elites, international lawlessness etc.-is not going to lead
the US on bright paths. Besides, he did not present an inspiring,
comprehensive and convincing program plan for the social, economic
and political reorganization of the society and the country.

AUTHOR: Curriculum vitae

Isidoros
Karderinis was born in Athens in 1967. He is a novelist, poet and
columnist. He has studied economics and has completed postgraduate
studies in tourism economics. His articles have been published in
newspapers, magazines and sites around the world. His poems have been
translated into English, French and Spanish and published in poetry
anthologies, literary magazines and literary columns of newspapers.
He has published eight poetry books and three novels in Greece. His
books have been translated and published in the USA, Great Britain,
Italy and Spain.

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