The good, bad and ugly of Trump presidency for majority in Africa

The grand reign of Donald J Trump is finally here. While my problems with DJT are about his personal character, there is also a grudging respect for the man.

Who would have imagined him as President in 2016, knowing his personal character challenges and financial woes? Not only did he triumph, but he kept his base even after losing in 2020, owned and transformed the Republican Party and is finally back on Pennsylvania Avenue, investigations, house raids, indictments, attempted assassinations notwithstanding.

Unlike his first term he is smarter, has a more professional team and now owns the Legislative and Judicial branches. Grudging respect aside, there’s one thing I love about Trump’s presidency; it silences Americans for four years as they squirm at the assault of the image they have given to the world about the primacy of constitutionalism and the rule of law. What is even more gratifying is that on the score of abuse of basic legal principles that America has sold to the world for eons, President Biden’s actions in pardoning his son Hunter, and the last-minute pardons of 3 of his siblings for “anticipatory offences” makes Trump not an outlier in his pardon of the January 6th rioters and other criminally colourful characters, but just more voluble and outlandish.

Trump’s presidency is most exciting in its predictable unpredictability. Predictable because you know it will be chaotic. Predictable also because Trump clearly outlines all things he plans to do, including coming after his enemies.

But unpredictable because one is not sure the full extent and the manner in which the actions he promised will be delivered since the promises are usually made in vague terms. Predictably in his first 12 hours as President Trump issued some symbolic orders including renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and undoing President Obama’s naming of Mount Mckinley as Mount Denali, an indigenous Alaskan name.

He also gave respite to Tiktok, whose ban had commenced the Sunday before his inauguration, at least for 75 days. More substantively, he declared that as far as federal entities were concerned, there would now be only two genders; male and female. He also directed elimination of Diversity Equity and Inclusion programmes in the federal government, hitting at two of the core components of the liberal agenda. That is red meat to his rightwing and evangelical fans.

The largest number of his executive orders relate to immigration which Trump and his supporters deem an epic catastrophe. It will be interesting to see how that plays out in an economy addicted to immigrants. Related to this is one of the most significant changes to America’s citizenship that Trump intends to introduce. The 14th amendment of the US Constitution automatically grants US citizenship to every child born in America whoever its parents are.

Trump desires to deny any child born of illegal immigrants and persons on short visas from this right. This being a constitutional issue, it will be one of the more difficult orders to enforce and it is already making its way through the federal courts.

It doesn’t however hurt that the Supreme Court is packed with Trump allied judges. He also pulled America out of the World Health Organisation. The impact is not obvious but it could have far-reaching impact, particularly on the third world which depends on WHO’s research to determine options for managing debilitating diseases, and ensures continued supply of critical medical interventions.

Related to this, Trump suspended America’s aid programmes for 90 days to establish their “America First” alignment. In reality, America’s aid has gone down over the years. It is helpful that Trump’s order signals aid recipients of the need to prepare for a post aid world and negotiate for trade and reparations (as victims of America’s abuses) as the basis of future partnerships with America.

Bottomline, the next four years of Trump promises major changes in policy, lots of “drama and video” and constant assaults on what we traditionally knew US to stand for. It is the season of transactional relationships, defined by what is good for US and what appeals to President Trump personally. Fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride.

The writer is an advocate of the High Court