International•30 Dec ’23 6:14 PM Author: Myrthe Koopman
In 2024, a large part of the world’s population will go to the polls. Citizens of the entire European Union, but also of the United States, the United Kingdom, India and Russia, elect their new leaders. However, according to Han ten Broeke, Director of Political Affairs at The Hague Center for Strategic Studies, there is one election by far the most important: ‘That is the one in the United States.’
‘Trump is the biggest danger for 2024’
12 min 35 sec
Foreign commentator Bernard Hammelburg agrees. “Those elections determine the fate of the world.” Hammelburg explains that over the past four years under the leadership of President Joe Biden, there has been a certain form of certainty about the Western alliance, NATO. ‘And NATO is actually the cornerstone of everything for us. But if Trump is elected there will be a hitch.’
Donald Trump, former President of the United States. (ANP / Associated Press)
This, for example, will put extra pressure on support for Ukraine, because Trump says he is not very keen on it. That view is widely shared within his own party in Congress. If support from the United States disappears, Europe will be on its own. The foreign commentator states that Europe is not capable of doing this because it does not have enough technical resources and weapons.
Fascistoid rhetoric
Ten Broeke is also seriously concerned about the idea that Trump may again seize power in America. Why is Trump the biggest danger for 2024? Because this time he proposes a kind of presidency of revenge,” he explains. ‘Last time he was surprised that he became president, but now he is preparing well.’
‘Very dark, almost fascist rhetoric comes out of his mouth’
Han ten Broeke, Director of Political Affairs HCSS
The Director of Political Affairs states that Trump’s statements are now increasingly sending shivers down the spine. “Very dark, almost fascistic rhetoric comes out of his mouth, describing his political opponents as vermin that must be exterminated.”
Popular
Hammelburg recognizes the extreme nature of Trump’s statements: “He says that immigrants pollute the American blood, that is a text straight out of Mein Kampf.” Nevertheless, Trump is by far the most popular candidate among Republicans. The foreign commentator explains this by the fact that Trump has completely focused on poorly educated, white, American men since he first declared his candidacy.
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‘That group is large and has had the feeling of being discriminated against by the anti-discrimination rules for years. They believe that all the love and attention goes to the minorities, and that they are the victims of this,’ Hammelburg explains. ‘Trump has responded enormously to this, so that they now regard him as a kind of liberator and he can get away with all those texts and ideals.’
‘Empathy is out, narcissism is in’
Han ten Broeke, Director of Political Affairs HCSS
Ten Broeke shares that view, he describes it as: ’empathy is out, narcissism is in’. In addition, a majority of Americans actually think Joe Biden is too old. Ten Broeke agrees ‘it is no longer Uncle Joe, but Granny Joe’. Hammelburg also sees that Biden’s old age is becoming increasingly visible, ‘it is very visible and audible’.
Also read | ‘America is a traumatized country’
2023-12-30 17:14:58
#Trump #greatest #danger
