By his anti-immigration policy, Trump is telling the UDCs to: build their states; modernise their societies; democratise their politics; humanise the economic arena; and develop their capacities to really discipline their ruling and governing classes. For sure, these tasks will not be easy, as US and Western Europe will frantically oppose them. But refusing to confront these problems is even more dangerous and deadly.
During the 2024 United States (US) presidential campaigns, some of my friends supported the Democratic Party presidential candidate, Kamala Harris. They argued that she is a woman and immigrant from a working class background. They further pointed out that Black blood flows in her veins, she is not a racist and would, therefore, not pursue racist policies and programmes.
They argued that Donald Trump, on the other hand, is “incompetent”, “ignorant”, “arrogant”, “egotistic”, “narcissistic”, “idiotic”, “rash”, “unpredictable” “unconventional”, “undiplomatic”, “unapologetic”, “unrepentant”, “lunatic-like”, “dangerous” and “hyperactive right-wing racist”, who talks before he thinks, and acts before he calculates.
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My reaction was that the problems the US poses to itself and the world goes beyond an individual – whether Black or White, man or woman. The problems are systemic and structural, and they are inherently racist, capitalistic, imperialistic and militaristic. Thus, whether Harris or Trump wins, nothing serious would change. Besides, Trump and Harris are fundamentally the same. At best, they are five and six. Their difference is basically in style.
I also reminded them that the US’ problems are deeply rooted in its history. Karl Marx captured some of them when he wrote: “The discovery of gold and silver in America, the extirpation, enslavement and entombment in the mines of the aboriginal population, the beginning of the conquest and looting of East Indies, the turning of Africa into a warren for the commercial hunting of black-skins, signalised the rosy dawn of the era of capitalist production.” True, Marx was talking about the primitive accumulation of capital in the West, but no where was this accumulation sucked with racism, genocide, slavery, blood, and violence like in the US.
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Therefore, no US president – whether White or Black, man or woman, immigrant or non-immigrant, saint or devil, is ready to smash, or is even capable of smashing, these “fruits” of genocide, looting, plundering, slavery, and colonialism for democracy, social justice and peace. Only US citizens, in their crowds and with their blood, can address these historical injustices.
I equally reminded them of the first woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), Margret Thatcher. This wife and mother, fanatically spearheaded the destruction of the UK welfare state. Under her watch, the state protection of the poor was reduced from 9.3 per cent in 1968 to 4.7 per cent in 1979, and 1.2 per cent in 1986. Under her administration, subsidies for the working and poor people drastically fell from £9 billion in 1969 to £5 billion in 1979, then £0.3 billion in 1990.
Cowboys and cowgirls are, by nature, true to themselves. By electing Trump, they have shown their true DNA, true faces, and heart of hearts. By voting Trump, they have told the “rest of us” that they prefer a known devil over and above devils of the types of Clinton, Obama, and Harris, who are doubled-face, and eat simultaneously with both sides of the mouth. So Trump is not as hypocritical and deadly as Clinton and Obama.
Thatcher also crudely pursued an atavistic, anachronistic, extremely hypocritical, and war-mongering foreign policy. She subverted the national liberation struggles in Southern Africa by befriending apartheid Premier PW Botha. She morally, politically, diplomatically and militarily supported the White minority rule and apartheid regimes in Southern Africa. Thatcher similarly defended apartheid South African military invasions and destabilisation of the Frontline States.
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She categorised the African National Congress (ANC) and its members like Nelson Mandela as “terrorists”. She further befriended the Chilean murderer and dictator, General Augusto Pinochet, who in a military coup-d’état engineered and financed by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) bombed the Chilean State House, with the President, Salvador Allende inside. So where was the womanism and humanism in Thatcher?
Accordingly, I told them, I prefer a devil who owns up to being a devil, speaks and acts as one, over and above a devil who pretends to be an angel, talks and acts like an angel, but strikes like Lucifer himself! Therefore, I preferred Trump to Harris.
Trump, without doubt, is dangerous. But so are politicians like Harris, Clinton, and, worst of them, Obama. Whereas Trump is bold and honest enough to tell the world the racist, anti-immigrant, and anti-democracy policies and actions he intends to pursue, characters like Harris, Clinton and Obama, will justify their racist policies and satanic actions with the sugar-coated words of “stakeholders’ consultations”, “inclusiveness”, “participation”, “poverty alleviation”, “security”, “peace-building”, “sustainability”, “good governance”, “democracy”, and “development”. They, in addition, will garnish and fantasise these words with slogans like “Hope”, “Stand for Change”, “Organise for Change”, “Change Can’t Happen Without You” and “Yes, We can”.
Any surprise, therefore, that Obama, as president, praised Islam but organised, trained, financed and armed ‘religious’ fanatics, lunatics and terrorists like Al-Qa’ida, ISIS, and Boko Haram, etc, to destabilise underdeveloped countries (UDCs) like Nigeria, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, amongst others.
Cowboys and cowgirls are, by nature, true to themselves. By electing Trump, they have shown their true DNA, true faces, and heart of hearts. By voting Trump, they have told the “rest of us” that they prefer a known devil over and above devils of the types of Clinton, Obama, and Harris, who are doubled-face, and eat simultaneously with both sides of the mouth. So Trump is not as hypocritical and deadly as Clinton and Obama.
By seeking to negotiate with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, without Zelensky and EU’s participation, Trump is telling Zelensky that no beggarly nation decides when and how to end a war. He is also telling EU that just as US was in the forefront in making and greatly funding the war, so also has US the right to unilaterally end the war. Hence, that war is not just about politics and diplomacy but squarely about economics.
By scrapping the United States Aid for International Development (USAID), and telling the world that he would expose more US agencies like Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and CIA, Trump is just being true to himself and showing US for what it truly is. By so doing, he is, to use Lenin’s expression, opening the eyes of US citizens and the world: “to the rottenness, mendacity and hypocrisy” of US democracy.
By seeking to negotiate with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, without Zelensky and EU’s participation, Trump is telling Zelensky that no beggarly nation decides when and how to end a war. He is also telling EU that just as US was in the forefront in making and greatly funding the war, so also has US the right to unilaterally end the war. Hence, that war is not just about politics and diplomacy but squarely about economics. Besides, the EU should know that while the monkey and the baboon are of the same ancestral parentage, a monkey is a monkey, and a baboon is a baboon.
Trump, by scrapping and exposing USAID for what it really is, is telling us, Africans, to be self-reliant rather than depending on cancerous stipends, distributed by USAID, DfID and other international do-gooders. Trump is equally pointing to organisations and individuals, within and outside Africa, that have been feeding on African poverty, diseases, and underdevelopment. Forces that have been, disorganising and destabilising Africa. Consequently, Trump is tacitly calling on the African state and society to: investigate these forces; take self-sustaining actions against them; and take security, democracy and development seriously.
By his anti-immigration policy, Trump is telling the UDCs to: build their states; modernise their societies; democratise their politics; humanise the economic arena; and develop their capacities to really discipline their ruling and governing classes. For sure, these tasks will not be easy, as US and Western Europe will frantically oppose them. But refusing to confront these problems is even more dangerous and deadly.
Politics is not just about sex (man or woman), colour (Black or White), or religion (African Traditional Religion, Islam, Christianity, etc.). It is basically about interests – about “who stands to gain” from this or that policy, programme or project. If Trump will nakedly show US for what it really is, then, alhamdulillah for “the rest of us”.
Ahmed Aminu-Ramatu Yusuf worked as deputy director, Cabinet Affairs Office, The Presidency, and retired as General Manager (Administration), Nigerian Meteorological Agency, (NiMet). Email: [email protected]
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