The elections scheduled in the United States for this November 5 already have their names defined: the vice president Kamala Harris chose Tim Walz as a companion, and his more globalist view will collide with none other than Donald Trump and the senator from Ohio James David Vancewith a severe conservative profile. Being more isolationist than Harris, Trump has a demanding position regarding NATO, especially with regard to the contributions of its parties, and that is already raising suspicions in the European Union.
Trump said at a rally last February that if a “A European country that owed money to NATO would not only fail to protect them, but would encourage Russia to do whatever it wants with the debtor state.” Although Trump’s verbal incontinence is well-known, statements of this nature are the talk of the town in Europe. Although Article 5 of the NATO Treaty speaks of what international relations scholars define as a “collective security mechanism” (in the event of an attack on a member, the response will be massive), it also mentions that “the measures considered necessary may be taken.”
What would it mean for a politician like Trump to take the measures they “deem necessary”? Would he help or not those who ask for help? Questions that will only be answered if the former president returns to the Oval Office for another four years.
Authoritarians don’t like this.
The practice of professional and critical journalism is a fundamental pillar of democracy. That is why it bothers those who believe they are the owners of the truth.
Trump has the support of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate who withdrew from the race and expressed his support. On Harris’ side, there are the Obamathe same Joe Biden logically, and the former president Bill Clinton. Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic Convention was widely applauded, as he praised Biden and highlighted him as an exceptional presidentwho defended democracy in a time of danger:
Regarding foreign policy, Harris at her last rally assured that she will support Ukraine “regardless of the duration of the conflict.” It was a message to Putin that he would not give in to Russia on the war board, while Trump seems to want to deal first with “domestic” politics, as he insists in his speeches on calling the Biden government’s economic management disastrous.
Biden’s somewhat late decision to withdraw from re-election could have given Trump some advantage; the attack suffered by the Republican and in which he miraculously saved his life was also measured in the polls, but the latest polls show parity or a slight advantage for Harris and that also raises expectations regarding the disputes in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Trump focused his speeches on attacking Biden, questioning his ability, and now he is attacking Harris, who in her first days as a Democratic candidate has ignored the Republican’s attacks, although highlighting her legal situation. The Republican leader still has the process open for the most shocking episode for American institutions: the assault on the Capitol. If Trump returned to the White House, he would be the first president of the United States to have encouraged (through social networks) and supported an assault on one of the three powers of the United States. This is a fact of enormous historical relevance, since the legislative power is a vital part of what Americans call “system of checks and balances”.
Harris, with her speech about “being the president of all Americans,” seeks to bridge political divides, a path that Trump is fueling with fiery speeches and strong accusations. The question is whether Trump would accept defeat this time. After the tight election against Biden in 2020, he refused to accept the result, saying that the election had been “stolen.” That was the point that would later lead a mob of his supporters to storm the Capitol.
So between Trump’s “Make America Great Again” and Harris’s “We are not going back,” we’ll see what happens at the polls in just over two months.
* Bachelor of Political Science.
