Is a Trump presidency now imminent? It will most likely be Hillary Clinton (left) vs Donald Trump come November, with the billionaire property tycoon the likely winner
It will most likely be Hillary Clinton (left) vs Donald Trump come November, with the billionaire property tycoon the likely winner

It will most likely be Hillary Clinton (left) vs Donald Trump come November, with the billionaire property tycoon the likely winner

Hildegarde The Arena
On September 2 2015 I wrote about the United States of America 2016 elections before the presidential hopefuls from both the Democratic and Republican parties had started their primary polls. I acknowledged that Hillary Clinton would be the major Democratic contender, and that she might land the post because the gender dimension was in her favour. If Barack Obama became the first black president, then Clinton could also become the United States’ first woman president and commander-in-chief.

In that piece, I also made a prediction, which seemed quite preposterous, but probable when I wrote: “But it is the Republican Party that is sending shivers down the spines of most people outside of the US. Apart from having 17 presidential hopefuls, it managed to spring the biggest surprise by having billionaire Donald Trump on its list.

“His meteoric rise has surprised many who thought that the real estate mogul was just adding some colour in a party whose chances of landing the presidency looked quite slim. But when all is said and done, there is a likely possibility that come November 2016, Trump could actually be declared the president-elect of the United States of America.

“It is a frightening prospect for a lot of people. He pulls no punches and shoots from the hip. He has the ability to annoy all and sundry, but still manages to have high ratings, as the parties await their primary elections.

“When push comes to shove, he has intimated that he can stand as an independent. And it would be folly not to take him seriously, because the guy – maybe because he thinks that his money talks more than he does – is quite serious. So far, he has stepped on everyone’s toes including colleagues in the Republican Party.

“What surprises will he spring when he starts talking about his foreign policy agenda, considering that it was one of the very first issues that he brought to the fore and has managed to make it a campaign issue? Key issues include immigration, Muslims, Africans and China. For example, he would want to see 11 million immigrants deported and says he can do it because he is a ‘great manager.’”

There is now no need to ask how far he has gone, for Trump not only managed to stay in the race, winning big in the lengthy primary election season, but he also managed to scuttle the “Never Trump” campaign set up by some in his Republican Party.

When he won the Indiana primary on Tuesday, forcing his major rival Ted Cruz to bow out, there was that eerie feeling that the die is cast. He immediately said he was ready for Hillary Clinton, and in a somewhat toned down rhetoric claimed that they will continue to “win, win, and win!”

Watching him on TV, there was no doubt that the man meant every word, and he is quite confident that he will be the United States’ next president.

A Trump presidency! How is the international community responding to this likely probability? I scanned a number of notable news agencies to get the feel of how nations across the globe are greeting this prospect.

Some are in denial, while others have resigned themselves to the fact that if US voters want Trump as president, so be it.

Lucia Graves in an opinion piece published in the British Guardian newspaper says it all with her headline: “America’s Trump nightmare has arrived”.

Graves says: “Donald Trump could actually be the next president. Just let that sink in. This is a man who actively demeans women, has encouraged violence at his campaign rallies, would ban all Muslims from entering the US and recently seemed undisturbed by an endorsement from a leader of the Ku Klux Klan. And yet Trump, a political outsider, is poised to grasp the highest office in the land.

“It was never supposed to happen. But here we are. Tonight (Tuesday) in Indiana, in the primary that nobody thought would matter, the thing that nobody thought possible a year ago, is really coming to pass. Donald Trump is going to clinch the Republican nomination. He is really winning, like he always says. Only it’s not a joke or catchy mantra – it’s reality.”

Meanwhile, Nate Cohn writing in The New York Times in an article titled: “Yes, it’s early, but Donald Trump would have an uphill battle against Hillary Clinton,” gives the impression that with time, normalcy will be restored and Clinton would land the top job.

But, the writer is cautious, because if Trump was that unpredictable until this Tuesday, what would stop him from producing a shocker. The Democrats had better prepare sandbags, as one of their own said.

Cohn warns: “Could Mr Trump overtake Mrs Clinton? Sure. Mrs Clinton is very unpopular herself. Her polling lead is a snapshot in time, before the barrage of attack ads that are sure to come her way. There have been 10-point shifts over the general election season before, even if it’s uncommon. But there isn’t much of a precedent for huge swings in races with candidates as well-known as Mr Trump and Mrs Clinton. A majority of Americans may not like her, but they say they’re scared of him. To have a chance, he’ll need to change that.”

Change of tact in Trump’s infamous rhetoric is what Matthew Rusling suggests in his analysis in the Chinese news agency Xinhua. Rusling claims that Trump is capable of beating Clinton “with toned down rhetoric”.

“Some analysts now say that the only one who can beat Trump is Trump himself … Republican strategist Ford O’Connell told Xinhua that if Trump just adjusts his rhetoric a bit to be less offensive, ‘he could actually win this thing.’

“The tone and rhetoric is a major problem,’’ he said.

You cannot also fail to see how the media is going that extra mile in ensuring that Trump gets the message that he should get his act together in preparation for the battle against Hillary Clinton, for the Democrats cannot continue to occupy the Oval Office.

Obama tried to reassure the international community in a radio interview on Monday when he said Trump was not yet ready to serve as the country’s commander-in-chief, and that if he becomes the Republican nominee, they would be “ultimately” giving the White House to either Clinton or Bernie Sanders: “I think that he is not somebody who, even within the Republican Party, can be considered as equipped to deal with the problems of this office. If, in fact, the Republicans nominate Mr Trump, then it’s going to be an interesting fall season. I’m confident that ultimately the Democrat in that circumstance will win,” said Obama.

Since June 2015, we all said the same about Trump. He proved us all wrong. Hate him or like him, he has for now proved that he has his own way of getting to the White House – an anti-establishment approach. Meanwhile, bring out the popcorn.

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