So many of us across the globe had to pinch ourselves when businessman and property mogul Donald J. Trump was announced as the 45th President of the USA; indeed, many of us are still pinching. But pinch as you might, it is official, and since last Friday, very, very real. We’ve listened to the rhetoric, the slander, the conjectures, the subterfuges and the countless ad hominem attacks. We’ve also listened to some both broad and vague policy promises; indeed, it looks as though America has voted in a man with no concrete political ideology at all. What does the future hold for an American people under the governance of a man who has never experienced career politics?
Let us remember, the announcement of Trump’s victory was a long-waited relief for those Americans who affiliated themselves with a significantly nationalist, right-wing and – to some degree – fascist agenda. Above all, Trump’s rhetoric mobilised disaffected American voters in a way that no other populist has ever been able to do; the conquering of many swing states and former Democrat states was somewhat meteoric. The talk of renewal and change, of a new era of government for the people and by the people; all of this was presented to us on the gold-rimmed political plate that was Trump’s office-seeking mandate.
Despite winning the presidency, Trump has not provided any substantive examples of his apparently revolutionary ideals in policy format. In other words, what will a future under Trump really look like on a terrestrial level? The truth is, few people can make a strong assertion regarding this question; we know the new President-elect is vehemently against rising levels of immigration, just as we know that he has no plans to halt hegemonic nuclear proliferation any time soon. What we do not know is how this man will interpret constitutional laws and apply them to policy-making initiatives, and what sort of policy initiatives he will have at all. The absence of a clear answer to these questions reflects one in several positives concerning Trump’s inauguration. The President – never having worked in politics in any form – will be significantly constrained.
The current period is one of hard-hitting political uproar, the scale of which no state has previously experienced. One should bear in mind that this isn’t just a period of turbulence for America. The whole world has been split by a chasm of populism. Inevitably, the longevity of populist agendas will be tested; but what will be tested above all in the context of Trump is the strength of the US constitution, and its revered separation of powers. A test to determine exactly to what extent a right-wing political executive can be restrained. We may take comfort in the fact that, amongst all the negativity and ill feelings, there is a saving grace in the form of entrenched constitutional statute that limits the law-making powers of the President, theoretically neutralising potential forms of tyranny or authoritarianism that may otherwise prevail. We must remember that the President is only one facet in the intricate machine that is the Senate, the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court; a constitution steeped in rich judicial history, the US under Trump may not be as cutthroat and despotic as one might fear.
Today is a period in which the constitution will prove its strength as a paradigm of democracy and libertarianism. The state of politics is certainly changing, but the pillars that hold the bodies of power together with checks, balances and scrutiny must remain stable and grounded. So, let us be hopeful towards the strength of constitutional forces in a political world whose horizon is transforming every day.