Donald Trump, despite all his crazy statements, had a small chance to win the 2016 presidential election because the Democrats had chosen Hillary Clinton, the second most hated candidate (after Donald Trump) in the history of presidential elections. The case against Hillary Clinton is stong. Unfortunately for The Donald, the case against him is even stronger.
In the post-factual world, Donald Trump, with no knowledge regarding foreign, defense, trade, health-care and most other policies, could get away with (almost) anything and (almost) compete with Hillary Clinton.
The case against Donald Trump is as strong as it gets. He is a narcissist, a long-time birther (he reversed his position just in the last stretch of the election), a protectionist, an isolationist, a misogynist, an insulter of Latinos and Muslims, a xenophobe, a serial liar, an anti-intellectualist, an anti-establishment populist, a billionaire who left many investors in his projects empty-handed, and a reality-TV star who knows how to make waves, but forgot that the presidential election is not a reality-TV show were all news are good news.
Donald Trump never managed to move from reality-TV inspired provocations to a presidential mode. If you don’t look presidential, you are unlikely to become president. His almost daily insults pulled off Independents and moderate Republicans.
If you insult 50% of the electorate (women), 14% of the electorate (Latinos), 12% (Blacks), Muslims and other minorities, you cannot win the White House.
Hillary Clinton is outspending Donald Trump by more than 2:1. Her ground game is substantially more professional than Trump’s amateurism.
Donald Trump is not only not knowledgeable, he is unpredictable. Not even he himself knows what he would do if he became president because he has not thought it through.
At the beginning of the presidential election year, the goal was (A)ABC: (Almost) Anybody But Hillary. In the end, you have to vote for Hillary Clinton because she is the lesser evil.
The standing of the United States in the world has been damaged by President Obama’s foreign and military policies, notably creating a vacuum of power in many regions around the globe. The 2016 presidential election has further damaged the US standing, the US soft power and even the standing of democracy around the world.
Donald Trump would have needed a major Islamist terror attack on US soil and a stock market crash to have a real chance to win the 2016 presidential election.
The Senate will most likely end up with a Democratic majority, the House with a Republican majority. A bipartisan approach will still be needed to solve the problems of the United States.
There are plenty of reasons why some Americans (on the right and on the left) are unhappy with the political establishment of both parties. However, isolationism and protectionism would not make the situation better.
Some of the economic reasons for unhappiness: The median income is still lower than before the 2008 crisis. The unemployment rate does not reflect the real labor situation because the labor force participation rate was around 75.5% in 2006 and is around 72.6% in 2016, one of the lowest among the world’s leading economies. In addition, there are three million more poor in the United States than when President Obama came to power. And the US recovery may soon be over and the country may end up in another, natural down-turn cycle.
All that said, Trump’s proposals are a recipe for disaster, not a solution to the economic problems mentioned above. The United States need better and more affordable education. A dual system as in Germany and Switzerland is needed, were professional apprenticeships lead to a high performing workforce. In addition, further education will be needed all along your life.
A trade war with Mexico and China and other protectionist measures won’t help the US economy. Hold your nose and vote for Hillary!
Books by and about Hillary Clinton at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Books by and about Bernie Sanders at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Beauty items at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
Photo on this page: President Donald Trump poses for his official portrait at The White House, in Washington, D.C., on Friday, October 6, 2017. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead). The image is in the public domain. Photo: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons. [photo added on January 21, 2020].
Article added on November 7, 2016 at 20:27 Swiss time
