Australia (not HC posters) is overwhelmingly relieved Trump will not hold the WH.
However, despite Trump's catastrophic and incompetent mismanagement of the pandemic and the economy, he has gained 48% of the popular vote in 2020, increasing the number of Americans who voted for him by 7 million.
How is this possible?
I have pondered this for a long time and not been able to answer this simple question. It makes no sense to me and I try to avoid overlaying my own experiences and expectations with those of Trump's voters. I just have no answer.
Peter Hartcher (SMH) has interviewed a previous Chair of the GOP who provided a very simple answer to this fundamental question. He said Trump is a long term TV celebrity in the US. Voters who watched him on tv love him and many nod "yes he did those things, but you know, he is our boy".
The guy noted that celebrities in the US can do anything they like and will always be forgiven. Trump knows this and has always relied on it. It is working for him.
So, I now have some understanding of why Americans continue to vote for celebrity Trump. Remember Kanye West was going to run. Now I get why. There was talk of Oprah Winfrey running some years back. Now I get why.
The implications of this for the election aftermath could not be more serious.
For the longer term, I don't see how America ever becomes truly great again. It never pays to underestimate America, but is that America still there?
America is in serious trouble. Therefore, the free world is in serious trouble.
