A Second Look At Trump And A First Look At Biden -OpEd
With the Trump era as President of USA coming to an end, it is necessary that hitherto sworn critics of Trump, a section of prejudiced US media targeting Trump and the members of the opposition Democratic party should take a second look at President Trump and his administration in a dispassionate manner.
For the last four years or perhaps, for the last five years from the time when Donald Trump started his Presidential campaign, his critics and a section of the media have been ruthlessly abusing him, with distasteful cartoons and exaggerated adverse stories. Of course, Trump retaliated with equal vehemence and in the process, American politics became polluted to some extent and the reputation of US as a civilized democratic country lost its sheen in the eyes of the world. Some people feel that Trump should have ignored the abuses heaped on him by his critics and the section of media but it is not in the nature of this man to do so.
What will Trump do next?
Now that Trump’s term as President is over, he will be much less active politics and will be more focused in his business activities and could perhaps, go back to his old theme of justifying tax evasion as skillful and competent exploitation of the loopholes of the law!
While taking a dispassionate view of Trump’s administration, in the future it is more than likely that many people will tend to think that Trump has been more sinned against than sinning.
A significant section of US citizens could come to the conclusion that in the process of criticizing Trump in a motivated manner by his critics, the salient aspects of his administration have been ignored deliberately by the critics and the opposition parties and he was not given his due.
The ground reality is that a large number of American citizens saw the good aspects of his administration and voted for him in the just concluded Presidential election, though the number was not large enough to allow Trump win the election.
While it is a fact that Trump has dented his image by giving an impression that he is a graceless loser by casting doubt on the electoral process in the USA, nevertheless his administration should be remembered for his “America first policy”. He took several positive and bold steps, which his predecessors like President Obama were not daring enough to do. He checked the free for all migration policy of the USA, discouraged the American investment in other parts of the world at the cost of the USA and tried his level best to checkmate the growth of China at the cost of USA’s status as super power in the world. The trade war that he initiated against China was a very courageous step.
Many Americans certainly saw the merit of his argument, when he stopped funding WHO for its inefficiency and questioned the decisions of the Paris Climate Conference, which virtually excused countries like India, China and others for the global climate crisis, while excessively blaming the USA. Trump’s successful peace efforts in the Middle East region has been an extraordinary development, which no other earlier US Presidents could lay claim.
Will Biden be a new target?
It appears that the pledged critics and section of media in USA could be “disappointed”, as Trump will not be any more in the political scene. They need to find new target to keep up their “morale”! It remains to be seen as to whether Joe Biden will be the next target (victim) for them.
While Joe Biden has the arduous and challenging task of freeing the USA from under the COVID-19 crisis, if the crisis is not resolved soon then Biden could be criticized for the same reason with which Biden criticized Trump.
However, the more serious issue is about the accusation against Joe Biden’s son Hunter, as he is under a Federal Tax Investigation.
Biden has put his wrong foot forward by stating that he has full confidence in his son’s honesty. By making such a “self-centered” statement, Biden is virtually converting the investigation against his son on to his own self.
It would have been in order, if Joe Biden had said that the investigation should take its own course. He should have refrained from defending his son when he is about to take over as US President and should have left the matter to be tackled by his son. Perhaps, Biden has allowed himself to be overcome by his “fatherly affection.”
In such circumstances, the first look at Joe Biden gives an impression that he may question the decision of investigating authorities, if the decision would go against his son. Critics may even go to the extent of stating that Biden would use his position as US President to influence the decision of the investigators.
A man of truth should also be a man of care. Obviously, Joe Biden has still a lot to learn. He has given an impression that he has failed to see his position as US President above his family interests and love for his son.
In several democratic countries, it has been seen that the image of a President has been spoiled by defending family members on any issues or excessively allowing the family members to interfere in administration.
Trump did this mistake to some extent and Joe Biden seems to be no better as far as the first look goes.
