Alwaght-Donald Trump was inaugurated as the United States president in Washington DC where he delivered an inaugural speech which sounded similar to his controversial campaign speeches.
The populist speech by Trump, the 45th US president, pointed to a new America moving towards isolationism, xenophobia and Islamophobia coupled with increasing polarization of the American society.
The central theme of Trump’s speech was his oft repeated slogan, “Make America Great Again,” which is itself an admission that US power is on the decline internally and globally. He said that, "we've enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry, subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military”. However, Trump’s attempt to revive the US economy will be an arduous if not utterly impossible task as such a move will imply disengaging Washington from trade agreements with international partners in North America, Europe and the Asia, Pacific region. In a sign of tense ties, already German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has said that under the new administration, the US must uphold its commitment to follow international trade agreements. "I don't think a big trade war will break out tomorrow, but we will naturally insist that agreements are upheld," he said on Friday.
Polarized America
In Trump’s inaugural speech there was little divergence from his controversial campaign speeches which polarized Americans and shocked the world. He continued to portray American as a country facing an onslaught from foreign trade foes by claiming that,” The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the world”. Trump also seemed not to care about uniting a deeply divided country after a controversial campaign and disputed elections results in which majority of Americans did not vote for him. Trump conspicuously failed to mention his opponent, Hillary Clinton, who won the popular vote and lost the electoral college votes which were cast by a paltry 538 electors. Protests have been held across American and in Washington, DC on inauguration day and this points to an increasingly polarized America which ironically Trump wants to make great again.
Trump continued with his campaign rhetoric of welfare and economic improvement by saying that, “We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our product, stealing our companies and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength.” However, experts have warned that Trump protectionist policies will hurt the US economy. Chinese media outlets have already warned the Trump administration that Beijing has a "big stick" to punish US companies that sell goods and services to China.
Power shifts from Washington to Wall Street
Trump also claimed that, “we are transferring power from Washington, DC, and giving it back to you, the people,” while his proposed cabinet comprises of billionaires and military generals to his cabinet. By appointing billionaires, Trump has effectively transferred power to Wall Street which is composed of a clique of one percent controlling the wealth of 99% of the rest of Americans. Certainly the billionaires are not doing charity work, and thus Americans should expect pillaging to be done. The military generals in Trump’s proposed cabinet also represent the country’s military industrial complex which is notorious for its corruption and stoking wars globally.
Experts have long stated that the US as a global power is on the decline economically, and Trump just admitted that in his speech by stating that, “Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities, rusted out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation”. He also referred to a rotten society in the US by pointing out that the “crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential”. While Trump highlighted tribulations facing the American nation, economists and sociologists have warned that his approach, policies and solutions will further plunge the US into more calamities.
Islamophobia as foreign policy pinnacle
In foreign policy, Trump has left no doubt that Islamophobia will be the pinnacle of his global outlook. In his speech, he vowed to unite the world “against radical Islamic terrorism” and at the same time praised the Christian Bible. Trump clearly came out as a neo-Christian crusader. This explains why Trump’s key figures in foreign affairs and national security are conservative Christian zealots and Islamophobes. With such a team it is unlikely that the incoming US administration will succeed in combating ISIS which is not representative of Islam at all. Trump, who has declared his admiration for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, will certainly need to learn a lot from Moscow on how to handle the war on terrorism.
Trump has been sworn in amid protests inside America and other parts of the world with historically low approval ratings for an incoming president. This unpopularity at home and abroad coupled with his new protectionist and isolationist path will not only not make America great again as he wants, but precipitate its inevitable decline.
