EDITORIAL
“God has given us Trump”
Alex Rodriguez
This is the election year par excellence. 3.6 billion people in more than 70 countries, almost half of the population, will be able to vote. Some have already done so in Russia, India, the United Kingdom, France or the European Union. Others will do it. Americans will have their appointment with the polls on November 5, the first Tuesday after the first Monday of the month, as tradition dictates. All elections are important, but what happens that day will attract all the attention, as has happened during the campaign with the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump and the resignation of the re-election candidate, Joe Biden. It will already bring all the interest because whoever is elected will influence the entire world. This new monograph Vanguardia Dossier x-rays the United States that supports Trump, a reactionary movement with deep roots (Castells).
Trump does not have one voter that defines him, but several. And the engine that animates and defines its bases, which are not only made up of white voters without higher education, but also by members of the communities of color (English) and Hispanics (Méndez), both groups on the rise, is a deep resentment against the elites, whom he presents as enemies of the American people (Senserrich). It appeals to the most basic human instincts, such as the will to oppose and survive, transcending ideological barriers (Weisbrode). It has created its own party, which differs from the Republican Party in principles and also in organization: it embraces a provincial nationalism, rejects the international involvement of the United States and no longer has establishment because there is only one leader: himself (Janda). It has given rise to the new right (Continetti) and elevated one of its members, JD Vance, to vice presidential candidate. “It’s a question of power,” said his now number two about Trump’s attempt to reverse the election result that Biden won.
Trump was willing to pass laws and appoint judges that privileged a conservative Christian worldview
A convicted felon, casino owner, married three times and an adulterer who pays off his lovers, Trump is seen as a combative champion in the culture war against the liberal elite – which includes the media (White) – and secularism. For this reason, and because Trump was willing to pass laws and appoint judges who privileged a conservative Christian vision of the world – see the Supreme Court ruling on abortion, for example – he has Christian support (Hibbard). Pure political tribalism and basic transactionalism. A question of power, not ideology.
Thus, and as of June of this year, the judges appointed by Trump are a third of the Supreme Court, 30% of those who are full-time on the appeals court (more than any other president) and 26% of the judges district also full time. Climate change deniers and tariff increase supporters (Ashbee), an isolationist trilogy defines the relationship of Trump’s United States with the world: no to immigration, trade protectionism and anti-interventionism in foreign policy (Kandel). Trump describes a dysfunctional and declining America. And he presents himself as their redeemer: “God has given us Trump,” proclaims a video from his campaign.
Summary:
*The roots of Trumpism The sociopolitical movement led by Donald Trump has deep roots in American society, beyond the electoral episodes. It is a collective and multiform reaction to the profound changes that have taken place in the United States and in the world in different dimensions. MANUEL CASTELLS
*The mystery of Trump voters What are they like? How have they evolved? Few analysts foresaw Donald Trump’s electoral victory in 2016. Since then, analyzes have continued to define that voter that no one expected, contrary to the elites, little interested in politics and upset with immigration and globalization. ROGER SENSERRICH
*Conservatismremodeled In the hands of Trump, the right is moving away from the founding principles of the United States, such as separation of Church and State or federalism. It has also become more assertive in the culture wars and has abandoned the cautious and conciliatory attitude that was common in the Republican ranks. MATTHEW CONTINETTI
*Provincial and personal: Trump’s Republican Party The Republican presidents after World War II considered that their role was to lead the free world and promote free trade, unlike the party that Trump has designed to suit him, which also lacks the large circle of leaders that previously characterized it. KENNETH JANDA
*Trumpism: older than the republic Although with similarities to populism, Trump has developed a policy with his own characteristics, but with antecedents in the United States. It appeals to revenge and hope, although with more emphasis on the former. And he is not a hero of the working class or ‘of the people’ (and in reality the ‘people’ don’t care about that). KENNETH WEISBRODE
*Racial and ethnic identities The black vote is not the exclusive and forever property of the Democrats. Despite his xenophobic, racist and nativist rhetoric, Donald Trump is managing to increase support among the black electorate, exploiting the rejection of a part of it to the left-wing and identity policies of the Democratic Party. MICAH ENGLISH
*More Hispanics voting for Trump Both parties devote special attention to Hispanics because they are a crucial bloc of undecided voters in an era of deep-rooted partisanship. The economy is the main concern of Hispanics when voting, who perceived Trump’s mandate in this regard as positive. MATTHEWMENDEZ GARCIA
*Religion and politics Although his way of acting is in no way consistent with the teachings of Jesus, Trump has promoted Christian nationalism with which he wages a cultural war against the left to defend that “Christian values” are not banished from the public sphere. SCOTT W. HIBBARD
*The future of the courts The near-record number of justices appointed by Trump during his term has tilted the Supreme Court to the right, for example overturning the Roe v. Wade ruling that legitimized abortion. What can we expect from a second term? RUSSELL WHEELER
*The media Trump can boast of leading a president’s most contentious relationship with the media, mocking them and accusing them of spreading “fake news.” But his way of using the networks marks a before and after. JOHN KENNETH WHITE
*Economic consequences A possible second victory for Donald Trump allows us to glimpse a more elaborate plan to continue with a protectionist policy, which must be seen how it resists the structural force of the markets. EDWARD ASHBEE
*Breakdown in foreign policy Trump radically changed the role of the United States in the world. With a more dominated party, it is likely to accentuate limits on immigration, protectionism and anti-interventionism. MAYA KANDEL
Other formats:
· iTunes: The digital edition of VANGUARDIA DOSSIER It can also be purchased through the “Vanguardia Dossier” application available for iPad and iPhone in the iTunes App Store. Downloading the app is free. Each copy costs €5.49.
·Google play: The digital edition of VANGUARDIA DOSSIER It can also be purchased through the “Vanguardia Dossier” application available in the Play store for Android. Downloading the app is free. Each copy costs €5.49.
· Printed Version: The printed version of this copy of VANGUARDIA DOSSIER can be purchased at the usual kiosks and bookstores for €6.
