Time to build bridges Mr Trump Donald Trump
Billionaire businessmen Donald Trump stunned the world yesterday when he convincingly beat his Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton (inset) to become the 45th president of the United States

Billionaire businessmen Donald Trump stunned the world yesterday when he convincingly beat his Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton (inset) to become the 45th president of the United States

The Arena with Hildegarde
THE gruelling fight in the US presidential election has come and gone.

As with any contest only one winner emerges, but this was a victor that millions across the globe never expected to be the next occupant of the Oval Office, and it is President-elect Donald J. Trump.

His victory has shocked and stunned the world, with many still receiving the news with scepticism, while others, Americans included, going on social media to denounce his election, and refusing to legitimise him as their president.

While the anger is understandable, they have themselves to blame for believing in a media that fed them with lies, a media that did not report factually, especially the anger that people have towards the establishment.

Day-in, day-out, they were given opinion polls to sanitinise them, and they failed to interrogate why it was difficult to put down Trump, if he was un-electable as they were made to believe.

Based on such a biased media and Trump’s own unconventional approach to campaigning, including the blunt rhetoric, many had brushed off the Republican Party contender, who also picked fights with a number of interest groups.

In a country that prides itself in freedom of speech, and which also has a plethora of media outlets, Trump ended up being endorsed by one media house.

It seemed as if everything was against him, with a number of bigwigs in his party also refusing to have anything to do with him, while others tried a number of times to derail his cam- paign.

His aggressive approach also sent shivers among members of the international community, who wondered how a Trump administration would perform on the international stage, considering that the US is the world’s super- power.

Thus a Trump who spoke negatively about Mexicans, Africans, Muslims, immigrants, trade, women and even Nato could not be trusted with power. He was also told many times that he was not fit to hold office.

Trump was also a dark horse that never held public office, and neither did he have military background. All odds were against him, with some wounds self-inflicted, but he stunned the world yesterday when he convincingly beat his rival Hillary Rodham Clinton.

To some, it was a foregone conclusion that the former Secretary of State would win with a comfortable majority, thanks to her lengthy experience in public office and as a First Lady; the support she enjoyed from the establishment and various interest groups, including big business, artistes, etc.

She would have made history by becoming the United States’ first woman president to continue with Barack Obama’s policies, who also made history in 2008 by becoming the first African-American to get to the White House.

But Clinton failed to shatter that glass ceiling, inasmuch as she failed to do the same when she contested against Obama in 2008. All she has now are shattered dreams and a splintered legacy. Not just her own, but also that of Obama.

Trump ended up being the history maker.

The lessons from this tight race are that you cannot take people for granted.

This is what we hope President-elect Trump will do, when he implements his policies.

The real job is just starting and it is incumbent upon his administration to reassure not just the American people, but the international community that he will rise above the storms of doubt and scepticism.

A number of world leaders, including the Government of Zimbabwe, have expressed optimism that they hope they will mend fences and build bridges, most of which had been destroyed by foreign policy agendas that sought to interfere in the internal affairs of other nations. This had reduced the US to an aggressor, when peaceful co-existence in the global village should be the norm.

We were encouraged by the remarks that President-elect Trump made in his acceptance speech: “I want to tell the world community that while we will always put America’s interests first, we will deal fairly with everyone, with everyone. All people and all other nations. We will seek common ground, not hostility; partnership, not con- flict.”

This departure from the aggressive approach gives room for starting a new world order. This is why the Government of Zimbabwe feels that there is room to mend our bilateral relations, which have been a victim of impunity from previous US administrations.

This is why the GOZ reciprocated the olive branch extended when they said: “Zimbabwe has never had any quarrel with America and does not need to have any quarrel with America. The new Government will restore our long time relationship that we have enjoyed with the American people. We can only be happy for the people of America who have made a choice and their choice is their democratic and constitutional choice which we must respect.

“As a Government we are quite happy listening Mr Trump’s acceptance speech. It was quite encouraging that he was talking about the need for America to cooperate and work with every nation that wants to work and relate with the American government.”

We congratulate the incoming president, and the American people for fighting a good fight.

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