Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1307485
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 8 NOVEMBER 2020 OPINION YOU might think, as some do, that the US elections have noth- ing to do with Malta. Some cannot understand the obsession of those of us who have been glued to the news for the last week until it was finally clear on Friday afternoon that yes, Joe Biden had won. Who cares, they shrug? How does it affect us anyway? But it does affect us, more than we might know, even on a subconscious level, not only because of the ripple effect of Trump's policies but also be- cause of what he has come to represent. This is the end of the road for perhaps the worst Presi- dent the United States has ever had the misfortune to elect. If we ever had any doubts about his unsuitability for the office, Donald Trump's behaviour as we waited for the official re- sults, simply confirmed our be- lief. I suppose it was too much to expect for him to contain himself or act with dignity, but to actually feed the public with lies and misinformation at such a potentially explosive time, as votes were being counted, sent shockwaves throughout ever media channel. Even Republican pundits were shocked, which is say- ing something. Commentators compared it to the kind of talk one expects in countries led by dictators; to think this was happening in the West, in the US of all places, was something they found difficult to digest. As Trump was squawking (without any shred of proof) about conspiracy theories, election fraud and imperious- ly demanding that each state should 'Stop the Count', CNN and other media outlets took the decision to no longer report any of his tweets because of the blatant disregard for the truth at a time when the American electorate had just exercised their legitimate right to vote, whether in person or by post. As he started filing numerous lawsuits to challenge the num- bers emerging from the postal votes, news anchors stood firm and reassured viewers that there was no fraud, democracy was in action, and the counting process was fully transparent. Like every country, there are mechanisms in place should any vote be questionable and each party has their observers overseeing the process. Most TV channels said they would only call the result for each state when each single vote had been verified, counted and tal- lied. Of course in Malta we are no strangers to political tension during an election. Heck, it is so much a part of our 'tra- dition' that when we saw the shops being boarded up in the US (for the first time ever) be- cause shop owners feared the possibility of riots, we were un- fazed. But the way Trump handled the prospect that he was los- ing was a new low, even for him. The danger of someone in his position instilling the be- lief in his supporters that the American election was rigged is irresponsible beyond words. I completely agree with the newsrooms which decided to take things slow and not 'call' the election until everything was official, because they un- derstood that at this delicate moment in time, the job of journalists is to defuse tension, and not add to it. If the Presi- dent was not going to act pres- idential, they felt it was their duty to take up the mantle of responsibility, exercise good judgement and not add fuel to the fire. The significance for us of Trump's term of office coming to an end is because I believe this man fomented a misog- ynistic, bullying, hate culture of all those who are different, which spread beyond the US. He also completely disrespect- ed one of the most important positions in the world, making it OK to act the fool, to not be well-informed, and to bring embarrassment to a whole na- tion which became the laugh- ing stock of the world. "Look at the clown the Americans elect- ed, they must be so stupid!" was something I got tired of hear- ing over these last four years. Trump never fully accepted that when one is President, one has to set a certain tone which is like a ripple effect that trick- les down to the populace. He never understood what it really means to be a leader, to bring out the best in people, rather than to speak outrageously and flippantly for a few laughs and a few sound-bites which can only please the lowest common dominator. As for those in Malta who admired him for his machis- mo and delighted in his infan- tile pronouncements, I believe there is a case study to be made there. His policies, from sepa- rating immigrant children from their parents, to withdrawing the US from the Paris Climate Treaty, to his disastrous han- dling of the pandemic and his disdain for science can be seen reflected in the way some peo- ple talk. He has also influenced other politicians, and not in a good way. Our own PM has often been compared to Trump because of his bravado attempts to act like COVID-19 will go away just because he said so. Salvini in Italy often out-Trumps Trump with his racist rhetoric. He was a President who glorified igno- rance, not because he was an ignorant man, but because he shrewdly knew that by speak- ing in a certain way he could appeal to those who were less educated. This is the type of thing which filters down and ends up being emulated by others (just listen to those who have been brainwashed by his dangerous rhetoric), which is why I long ago stopped finding it amusing or hilarious to see him being spoofed. But, with the realisation that power was slipping away from him, he began to unravel before our eyes (on Twitter) and it was like that scene in the Wizard of Oz, when the curtain is drawn and the mighty 'wizard' ends up being a little old man with a microphone. When Trump made his speech in the press room (even before Biden's lead was announced) I forced myself to watch and he already looked subdued and sounded defeated. He was reading from a prepared script but even he didn't seem to be- lieve what he is saying. When he walked off, his shoulders were slouched and all his blus- ter had disappeared. Of course, getting rid of Trump will not automatically heal America from its wounds caused by the deep divide, and Biden has his work cut out for him to try and bring some sem- blance of normalcy to a country which had become almost im- mune to the bizarreness which emerged daily from the White House. It will also not auto- matically mean that people will forget their political differenc- es and suddenly get along over Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are whole families which have severed their ties completely because of Trump; marriages have broken down, friendships ruined, all because what Trump represented was so extreme that those who supported him unreservedly and those who were physical- ly repulsed by him could never find any middle ground. The racism, the poverty, and the socio-economic problems will continue and the handling of the pandemic, like everywhere in the world, will still present its own unique challenges. But while Biden was not my favour- ite choice for President, when I heard him speak on Wednes- day, asking everyone to be pa- tient and appealing for unity, I just felt sheer relief to once again hear someone who knew what it meant to speak with gravitas, like a dignified states- man should. That alone, I feel, will already have a calming effect on the battered psyche of a nation which, from the way it vot- ed, clearly wants and needs a change of leadership. It is a na- tion which is once again ready to have a mature person at the helm, instead of a (highly dan- gerous) man baby. "He ended his presidency as he began, with zero nobil- ity", said a political pundit on CNN, and no truer words were spoken. In contrast, the same commentator quoted the exits of previous Republican pres- idents such as George Bush when he graciously conceded to Clinton, and more famously the disgraced Nixon, who de- spite the Watergate scandal, at least had a shred of decency left to bow out and leave. There has always been a smooth, peace- ful, transition of power. One only wonders whether Trump's advisors and the Re- publican Party (which has an enormous role to play here) will manage to persuade him to at least do that much, and leave the White House quietly, and take his defeat on the chin, you know, like a man. Why the end of the Trump Presidency is significant for everyone Josanne Cassar The way Trump handled the prospect that he was losing was a new low, even for him. The danger of someone in his position instilling the belief in his supporters that the American election was rigged is irresponsible beyond words