Dear Editor,
Like many Americans, including the media, pollsters, and many people around the globe, I was stunned at Donald Trump’s election victory. Trump will become the 45th president of the United States, having won most of the electoral college votes, pulling off some surprising upsets in many states.
Trump ran a rogue campaign, capitalising on people’s fear, including those who feared him. Many voters seemed disgruntled and frustrated with the status quo. Trump fed into their fears, constantly using race and immigration as key points in his campaign, which became divisive and controversial.
Voters didn’t seem to care about all the other personal stuff; in fact, they felt it made Trump more human, with imperfections. They saw Trump, with his business acumen and no-nonsense approach, as the person who could best change Washington and get the job done, and that was all that mattered.
Trump refused to release his tax returns, unlike most presidential candidates who do so for transparency and full disclosure. Again, most voters didn’t seem to care about that. Despite making derogatory remarks about women, Latinos and other minorities, despite mocking the disabled and other groups, he seemed to have pulled in more votes than expected from these same groups.
I’ve always said, in politics, anything can happen; never say never. Barack Obama and others said many times that Trump could never win. Polls pointed to a Hillary Clinton victory, even as the race tightened. Although she fought a tough battle, she lost much of her momentum when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) publicly announced a week or so ago that it would be reopening her e-mail investigation case; raising question marks again about her integrity, and leaving many wondering about the possibility she could even be charged. She never recovered, even when the FBI cleared her a second time.
Despite being a formidable choice, having star power backing, being a superb debater, and with all the Trump controversies, Clinton still didn’t win. I felt she lacked charisma, especially when she stood on stage with the likes of Michelle and Barack Obama, who were always fired up, and gave brilliant speeches. The energy would always subside, the moment Clinton took to the stage.
As election results started to favour Trump, global markets began to tumble. These markets reflect fear, uncertainty and panic, and may adversely impact global economies and the very same people who voted for Trump to help them. Hopefully we won’t see another global crash and recession.
It is ironic that Trump’s campaign took a major leap just a week ago when the FBI announced their reopening of Clinton’s e-mail investigation. Since then we began to see a less angry Trump; he appeared more subdued and surprisingly began to look more presidential at rallies. As I watched him give his presidential victory speech and later read the full text online I was taken aback by the tone, which seemed more conciliatory, humane and genuine. His tone has certainly become more inclusive as he stressed he would be president for all, regardless of one’s race, religion or political affiliation.
We can only wait to see if a wall will be built between USA and Mexico, and if Mexico will be forced to pay for it. We wonder if Muslims will really be banned from entering the US. We could also see, very soon, mass deportation of millions of illegal immigrants which Trump repeatedly promised. We don’t know if trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement will be drastically changed, nor are we certain if the world will embrace him.
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr, said in a recent
CNN interview that they’ve all grown and learned a lot during the course of the campaign, having met so many people from different backgrounds, dealt with multiple issues and controversies, some of which affected them negatively. We hope this is all true, especially for the new president. Only time will tell.
P Chin
chin_p@yahoo.com
Like many Americans, including the media, pollsters, and many people around the globe, I was stunned at Donald Trump’s election victory. Trump will become the 45th president of the United States, having won most of the electoral college votes, pulling off some surprising upsets in many states.
Trump ran a rogue campaign, capitalising on people’s fear, including those who feared him. Many voters seemed disgruntled and frustrated with the status quo. Trump fed into their fears, constantly using race and immigration as key points in his campaign, which became divisive and controversial.
Voters didn’t seem to care about all the other personal stuff; in fact, they felt it made Trump more human, with imperfections. They saw Trump, with his business acumen and no-nonsense approach, as the person who could best change Washington and get the job done, and that was all that mattered.
Trump refused to release his tax returns, unlike most presidential candidates who do so for transparency and full disclosure. Again, most voters didn’t seem to care about that. Despite making derogatory remarks about women, Latinos and other minorities, despite mocking the disabled and other groups, he seemed to have pulled in more votes than expected from these same groups.
I’ve always said, in politics, anything can happen; never say never. Barack Obama and others said many times that Trump could never win. Polls pointed to a Hillary Clinton victory, even as the race tightened. Although she fought a tough battle, she lost much of her momentum when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) publicly announced a week or so ago that it would be reopening her e-mail investigation case; raising question marks again about her integrity, and leaving many wondering about the possibility she could even be charged. She never recovered, even when the FBI cleared her a second time.
Despite being a formidable choice, having star power backing, being a superb debater, and with all the Trump controversies, Clinton still didn’t win. I felt she lacked charisma, especially when she stood on stage with the likes of Michelle and Barack Obama, who were always fired up, and gave brilliant speeches. The energy would always subside, the moment Clinton took to the stage.
As election results started to favour Trump, global markets began to tumble. These markets reflect fear, uncertainty and panic, and may adversely impact global economies and the very same people who voted for Trump to help them. Hopefully we won’t see another global crash and recession.
It is ironic that Trump’s campaign took a major leap just a week ago when the FBI announced their reopening of Clinton’s e-mail investigation. Since then we began to see a less angry Trump; he appeared more subdued and surprisingly began to look more presidential at rallies. As I watched him give his presidential victory speech and later read the full text online I was taken aback by the tone, which seemed more conciliatory, humane and genuine. His tone has certainly become more inclusive as he stressed he would be president for all, regardless of one’s race, religion or political affiliation.
We can only wait to see if a wall will be built between USA and Mexico, and if Mexico will be forced to pay for it. We wonder if Muslims will really be banned from entering the US. We could also see, very soon, mass deportation of millions of illegal immigrants which Trump repeatedly promised. We don’t know if trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement will be drastically changed, nor are we certain if the world will embrace him.
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr, said in a recent
CNN interview that they’ve all grown and learned a lot during the course of the campaign, having met so many people from different backgrounds, dealt with multiple issues and controversies, some of which affected them negatively. We hope this is all true, especially for the new president. Only time will tell.
P Chin
chin_p@yahoo.com