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US ELECTION
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 NOVEMBER 2024
Bull in a china shop: what a second
Trump presidency means for the world
The polls show Tuesday's American
election will be decided by a few
thousand votes across seven swing
states, representing 18% of the US
population. With a decision that will
resonate globally, James Debono
explores the potential ramifications
of a Trump victory
POLLS in the United States
show the difference between
Kamala Harris and Donald
Trump are within the mar-
gin of error in seven crucial
swing states, making the
American race to the White
House impossible to predict.
And yet, former US Pres-
ident Donald Trump has
since caught up with late-
comer Kamala Harris, who
entered the race after in-
cumbent Joe Biden floun-
dered in a first presidential
TV debate.
Despite energising the
Democratic base with a
star-studded coalition of
supporters, Harris's brief
surge in the polls now ap-
pears to have failed to
outsmart Trump, who has
even built a small lead in
key swing states.
Given that Trump lost by
a whisker in 2020 despite
polls showing Biden with a
stronger national lead than
Harris currently enjoys (+4
points compared to less
than a point), the likelihood
of a second, unrestrained
Trump presidency has in-
creased. One main rea-
son for Trump's domestic
success is that he projects
himself as the change can-
didate at a time when the
future looks bleak, espe-
cially for the demographics
he courts.
But what would his victo-
ry mean for the world and
for the European Union in
particular?
JAMES
DEBONO
jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt
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