The Donald Trump administration has ended. In a matter of minutes, Joe Biden, Jr. will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States of America. A new post-Trump era will begin.
Much has been written about Trump in this news outlet. Starting with his candidacy, from the margins of politics, built on aggression and insult. We published everything relevant for Mexico and the world: the wall, the breaking with U.S. allies, the useless confrontation with China, the rapprochement with Putin and North Korea. On multiple occasions, we emphasize the parallels with López Obrador: their lies, the disqualification of their adversaries, the lack of respect for the law and institutions.
Trump is one of the few U.S. presidents who did not get reelected, and he accumulates the most impeachment processes against a President. He never achieved more than 50 percent approval, and he closes his government at less than 32 percent acceptance. He did not win the popular vote the first time around, and in 2020 he did not win the electoral vote. Politically speaking, he was a failure.
Economically speaking, he did not do much to boost activity in his country. He lowered taxes, especially for the richest, but that did not change the trajectory of the U.S. economy. The pace of his administration’s first years was no different from it was before, with Obama. He reacted to the pandemic initially with a useful aid package, but he refused to push through the second one, to make life difficult for his successor. That translates into a failure in economic terms.
In the social element, the Trump period was tragic. From the campaign, he threatened to imprison Hillary Clinton and promoted conspiracy theories that were absurd -to say the least- which gave birth to the group now called QAnon. Specifically, about a pizza place in Washington, where human sacrifices and orgies were conducted with children. You may remember, at the beginning of the Trump administration, an armed man attacked the place trying to “liberate” the children “trapped” there.
Based on the permanent lie, Trump managed to make the media’s information less and less credible, and with it, his outbursts were considered less absurd. Thanks to this, he was able to promote the hidden racism of millions of Americans. Every day more images and videos were exposed on the internet of people attacking those who spoke Spanish in public or accusing black people of ABSOLUTELY NO REASON. The bigots, the racists, felt empowered. But let’s not forget: “There are good people on both sides.” Regarding social matters, Trump was not a failure; it was a tragedy.
The push for racism was accompanied by much of the Republican Party and various media outlets, especially Fox News. Although some of them did abandon Trump in his downfall, unfortunately, Trump’s promotion of nationalism, racism, and hate won’t be easily forgotten. Donald Trump deserves ignominy, as do his facilitators and intolerant followers.
By the time you read this, Joe Biden will be becoming, or about to become the 46th president of the United States, in a dreary inauguration, surrounded by the most significant security in the U.S. history due to Trump’s insurrectionist attempts. It will undoubtedly be another era, but it begins with this mark that will not be easy to erase. The damage that Trump has done is not minor. He did not manage to destroy the institutionality of the United States, but he came close. Very close.
There is a long way to go to overcome this moment of fear and anguish. But it’s certainly better to do it with Biden than with Trump.
For Times Media Mexico
Editorial Board The Yucatan Times.
January, 20 2021
Merida Yucatan, Mexico
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The editorial board of The Yucatan Times consists of a group of 9 people of different nationalities, selected for their background and objectivity, which are based on research, analysis and individual experience to reach a concerted vision of the important issues of Mexico and the world.
