Daily Times

Donald John Trump, the president of the US, seems to be in the habit of flinging bad intentions and worst policies for the US, Republican Party and the outer world. I believe he got the presidency accidentally. Let me start from his response to the most recent COVID-19 health crisis leading to global economic distortion! Halting the funding for the World Health Organisation is a silly action taken by the US President. This decision would bring the Third World countries to their knees. Abiding by Murphy’s Law, he is leaving no stone unturned to turn the good of the US Health Agency into its worst form finally.

After Trump took over as president of the US, he hugely questioned the health care program, which was started under Obama’s administration. Later, this program was suspended. Due to COVID-19, his administration is on all fours as the situation would have been different if the program was not completely terminated as had been advised by many experts.

The results of Trump’s failed policies are somehow obvious now. In the recent head-to-head polls, Joe Biden is leading Trump by more than six points: 49.8 per cent and 43.7 per cent

Look at the current fall in oil prices and Trump’s policies toward Mexico! It is evident that Mexico, which has long been in a standoff with Washington over his plan to build a wall between the two countries, cares less about the squeezed oil prices because of its unique hedging program: a shield that protects the country against price falls. Consequently, the US is all alone in the game of rapid fall in oil prices. What if the US think-tanks would have already assessed the long term pluses and minuses of the policies carried out under Trump’s administration?

Trump has manifested his trade idiocies in the US-China trade war. His urge to tax Chinese products high and position a plethora of American products and services in the Chinese market is unfair. According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, the aggregate of US-China trade totalled $740 billion in 2018. With exports of $180 billion and imports of $560 billion, the US is facing a trade deficit of $380 billion with China, which is not favourable for the balance of payment. With such a big trade partner, President Trump could move forward with a win-win economic policy. His louder trumpets to squeeze the trade deficit would gather no mass under effects of fragile policies. He could have understood that China is ruling the international market in terms of low-cost production of goods and competing with PRC in this sector is not child’s play. Low-cost production and trade networks do not only require a big budget. Rather, consistent economic planning and strategic implementation make things happen. Trump seems to be unable to grasp this concept! “Come kill me” proved to be Trump’s yet another trumpet when he dragged Europe to the trade conflict. Reducing the US trade deficit stays at the core of “America First” economic policy. Moving towards bilateral trade agreements, Trump has been busy in revising the tariffs insanely. His inefficient decisions have created problems for manufacturers and agriculturists in America. Subsequently, the consumers are paying through the nose for general purchases. Being the largest exporter of the world, China has revised tariffs for 125 products in response to Trump’s hostile dogmas.

Trump has been involved in threatening the world in some way or the other. A careful study revealed that the US military chiefs are not comfortable with the childish policies of the current president. He blames China with the charges of spreading Coronavirus and manipulating currency. On January 3, 2020, the world has seen Trump’s coward step towards the assassination of Qasem Suleimani–a major general of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. See what the response was! Iran took revenge by striking the US military base near Iraq. Iran-US tension was thus another blunder as things could have been solved amicably in the first place.

Trump seems to be the biggest racialist of the 21st century. He vehemently supported the Indian nationalism and indirectly talked about Islamophobia with Narendra Modi – the Indian Prime Minister. Declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel is in the same context an ill-gesture of the US President.

The results of Trump’s failed policies are somehow obvious now. In the recent head-to-head polls, Joe Biden is leading Trump by more than six points: 49.8 per cent and 43.7 per cent. So as the fame factor is concerned, Trump is facing a deficit in his popularity throughout the country. The Democratic Party is therefore up to defeat the current president’s political party in the incoming elections.

What I foresee is that Trump’s unnecessary governmental agility has not only marred his political career but also has stigmatized America’s face. Gone are the days when the US was seen as the unbeatable superpower! Coronavirus has added insult to injury and the American president is now walking on the soft swamps of indifference.

The writer is a researcher and a journalist. He can be reached at waheedmba@yahoo.com