According to latest surveys, Donald Trump is leading Joe Biden by 48 to 46 percent. Such statistics cast a major doubt on Biden’s ability to steal a second term into Office from the Republicans. This comes especially at a time when Biden’s handling of Israel’s war on Gaza is increasingly under fire by even staunch democrats. Polls have shown a continuous decline in President Biden’s popularity. Thus, the possibility of Trump’s re-election is becoming a glaring possibility. Experts and political commentators are now increasingly debating about the consequences Trump’s re-election might have on the rest of the world and America itself.
The United States and Isolationism
As a policy, isolationism mostly describes a country’s decision to avoid engaging in international trade and politics. In the wake of the 1929 Wall Street Crash, the US adopted this strategy. In order to prevent capital from fleeing the nation, Washington adopted a mercantilist economic strategy . The US imposed high import charges and tariffs and other protectionist policies and shied away from interfering in other countries. After joining the Second World War to fight Germany and contribute to the downfall of fascism, Roosevelt rejected this policy. This policy was one of the main reasons why America was late in joining the allies against Germany.
Since Roosevelt’s rejection of Isolationism, the United States has prioritized its global engagement. However, President Trump has been determined to reduce America’s footprint in rest of the globe at all cost. Trump’s policies have frequently followed the ideals of isolationism. The United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well as its broader security agreements with NATO and Asian allies, demonstrate this. Isolationism is a rather prevalent issue in populist politics as well.
Trump is anticipated to propose reforms, initiatives, and laws that would reintroduce isolationism into American foreign policy. Trump’s motto ‘America First’ sums it up, showing he’s all about putting the country’s needs at the forefront and disengaging from the affairs of the rest of the world altogether.
The ‘Migrant issue’
The US immigration policy has been a hot topic for debate during the run up to the Presidential elections. Former President Donald Trump has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration. This is a campaign promise he has made during his first administration as well. During his first term, Trump began building the border wall with Mexico which he promised will help curb illegals migration. Trump has promised to strengthen the wall at the southern border and the security arrangements around it.
In case, Donald Trump is able to snatch a victory, we can see am uptick in US Border Management. New bills regarding deportation of illegal aliens is already the talk of town amongst Congressmen and women. As a result, there will be formulation of tough visa restrictions and policies pertaining to treatment of Illegal migrants .
It is a glaring possibility that the so-called “Muslim Ban,” which Biden had reversed in January 2021, will be reinstated. Trump has vowed to add more countries to the list. Analysts also predict that Racism might go up during Trump’s tenure. Trump was a vocal critic of the George Floyd Protests.
Previously, the first Trump administration established restrictions on foreign-born scientists working in American institutions. This was owing to allegations that these scientists were leaking state secrets to benefit China especially in the fields of semiconductors and other military tech. As a result, the ‘China Initiative’ was launched by Trump to prevent these scientists from working in the US. The Trump administration increased surveillance of these scientists and warned US firms and universities in engaging with the Chinese. However, upon taking office, President Biden reversed Trump’s works. He increased STEM visa allotment for foreign scientists while criticizing Trump’s policies as racist. Thus, Trump is likely to reinstate these policies.
Trump and the US economic Policy
Trump has presented a reasonably clear picture of his goals for the US economy. He has been an outspoken critic of some of the social programs enacted by the Democratic Party during prior administrations. He has openly criticized programs such as Food Stamps and Obamacare, referring to them as socialist schemes. In order to caution his supporters against adopting such measures, he has frequently brought up Venezuela and its economic catastrophe. Many of these programs are expected to be rolled back.
Trump has also pledged substantial tax incentives for US companies and promised to reduce international competition. This mostly entails raising import levies and encouraging US corporations to invest in the United States.
Additionally, Trump has pledged to increase the minimum wage, which would unavoidably lead to higher inflation, which will boost interest rates even more and have an impact on global markets. High interest rates in the United States have already made conducting business prohibitively expensive around the world. This has caused many fledgling companies especially startups previously riding the wave of cheap US funding to fail. Thus tectonic shifts across the global economic scene is expected to unfold in case of the re-election of Donald J. Trump.
Donald Trump and US domestic issues
One of the first things Trump will do once in power is consolidate his power base across the board. This will begin with the dismissal of various agency heads and government officials who are perceived as sympathetic to democratic ideas.
One of the first presidential actions will be the removal of FBI Director Christopher Wray, who ordered the search of Trump’s Maralago Mansion. Similarly, Trump would replace the security establishment with men and women deemed more loyal to him. Democrats have repeatedly accused Trump of handpicking Supreme Court judges in this fashion, so making the entire judiciary more friendly to Trump and his ideas. This was cited as the reason for the recent abortion reversal by the US supreme Court. This will allow Trump to dodge 91 criminal charges that he is facing and have several personal investigations dropped against him in due time.
The Trump administration is expected to continue its healthcare policy from its first term. The budgets of the CDC and NHC are projected to be cut yet again, and a new battle against the right to abortion will commence. Trump and the Republicans will renew their efforts to enforce a nationwide ban on abortion after 16 weeks of pregnancy. Furthermore, Trump who has often sympathized with people involved in the storming of the capitol and has even called them ‘Nationalists’ may begin the works to pardon these people.
(Continued in Part 2)
+ There are no comments
Add yours