Opinion | Donald Trump’s Historic Return: Victory Of Reason And Commonsense – News18
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Trump’s deal-making acumen, combined with his no-nonsense approach, can lead to a breakthrough in the Russia-Ukraine war. Besides, enemies of Israel also know that now they have a tough guy in the White House
The victory will, as Trump promised, make America great again. (AFP)
It will take some time for Left-liberals to accept that Donald Trump has roundly defeated the Democratic Party candidate and their favourite Kamala Harris. It is the victory of reason and commonsense over the radical Leftist agenda of multiculturalism, perilous environmentalism, and big government. The victory will, as Trump promised, make America great again. In fact, it has the potential to make the world a better place. And surely, it will be good for India, even though many have expressed concerns over his proclivity towards protectionism.
It is as much his win as Harris’ loss. Like that of any other radical Leftist, Harris’ view of America is critical, if not downright contemptuous. “There’s no question that this system is deeply flawed,” Harris said in 2019. “There’s systemic racism in the system.” From this foundational belief emanates her faith in multiculturalism—the notion that all cultures and values are equally good. Therefore, there should be no problem if hordes of illegal immigrants inundate American cities.
She was given the charge to secure the borders, but she failed spectacularly. Her reluctance to stem the tide of the flow of aliens, many of them with criminal backgrounds, was the product and function of her Leftist beliefs. The number of illegal immigrants who entered the country is disputed; while Trump put the number at 21 million, others have put the figure much lower than that. But even liberal media platforms accept that the numbers were very high.
The Joe Biden-Harris administration also failed to keep the prices down. This was directly linked to its fanaticism to promote green energy and concomitant discouragement to fossil fuels. The consequences were distressing—that is, for the common people. Virtue-signalling intellectuals and celebrities, however, favoured such policies.
When Trump became president in January 2017, the average price of gas was $2.47 per gallon. During his four-year term, it was only marginally higher, at $2.57. When Biden entered office in January 2021, gas prices averaged $2.42; the average in his tenure so far has been around $3.61. Adjusted for inflation, this is 21 per cent higher under Biden.
Since fuel prices have a cascading effect on retail inflation, household bills zoomed for common people. The annualised inflation rate under Biden was 5.4 per cent, whereas under Trump it was just 1.9 per cent.
How would Harris and Trump tackle inflation? The Democratic nominee’s solution was straight from the playbook of socialism—price controls. The remedy she favored was so egregious that even her liberal supporters found it unpalatable, and made their displeasure known.
And what did Trump do? His answer was simple: “drill, baby, drill.” The answer was also correct, for more oil means lower fuel prices and, consequently, lower general inflation. Other policies that he has pledged, including deregulation and lower taxes, will also stimulate the economy.
This is not wishful thinking, for his previous term saw significant tax cuts and deregulation that boosted growth. His stance will strengthen the oil sector, lift small businesses, encourage entrepreneurship, and bring manufacturing jobs back to the US.
This will help not just American citizens but also Indians, for if the US becomes energy independent, which Trump promised, international crude prices are likely to fall. Which also means lower import bills for India, as petroleum is a major import.
It is unfortunate that in our country the US presidential elections are seen mainly from one perspective—the tariffs that the new administration would impose on Indian shipments. Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) chief Ajay Sahai expected Trump “to push for more balanced trade. But trade disputes might arise around tariffs.”
Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) founder Ajay Srivastava told a news agency, “His [Trump’s] America First agenda would likely push for protective measures, such as reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods, potentially adding barriers for key Indian exports like automobiles, wines, textiles, and pharmaceuticals. These increases could make Indian products less competitive in the US, impacting revenue in these sectors.”
At the same time, he added, a tougher US stance on China could create new opportunities for Indian exporters. Indian policy and decision-makers should focus on this aspect and partner with their US counterparts to boost ‘friendshoring.’
Trump’s unease with Beijing’s hegemonistic designs is well known; this is the reason that earlier his policies aligned closely with India’s interests. His emphasis on countering Chinese economic and military expansion resonates with India’s concerns about regional stability and border security. This has already had a positive impact on the bilateral defence, intelligence, and cybersecurity ties. In his second term, one can reasonably hope for the strengthening of these ties.
And last but not the least, Trump’s realism is likely to calm nerves in the global conflict zones. The billionaire businessman’s deal-making acumen, combined with his no-nonsense approach, can lead to a breakthrough in the Russia-Ukraine war. Besides, the enemies of Israel also know that now they have a tough guy in the White House, so they are likely to be less pugnacious and more amenable to peace.
Trump’s victory will go a long way toward making the world a better place.
The author is a freelance journalist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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