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Donald Trump

Hildegarde The Arena
IF United States president Donald Trump were to do and say what he is doing right now here in Zimbabwe, he would summarise it thus: “Handitye kukanda tsvimbo nokuti gudo rabata kumeso.” Loosely translated it means that he will not shy away from doing what he wants to do and achieve just because of criticism, even if the criticism is coming from all over.No doubt about it, the man is on a mission. Even psycho-analysts cannot tell what is up his sleeve. Since June 2015 when he announced his candidature, Trump has never ceased to boggle people’s minds. He has laid the United States and all its systems bare, leaving them stark-naked.

The Executive, judiciary, legislature and the Fourth Estate continue to be cannon fodder in Trumpland as he bulldozes his way to “making America great again.” Political science and international relations experts are wondering whether to write new rule books, for with Trump, diplomacy has assumed a new meaning.

World leaders that have interacted with him, including the United States of America’s closest allies understand that all the pleasantries between heads of state and government as they try to find common ground in their bilateral relations can be undone by Trump’s 140-character tweet messages.

It is that easy for him, and in the process, he is remapping the world. A new world order is in the making as everyone, Americans in particular wonder how they ended up with a president Trump.

Other people (not the man who lands the top-most job in the world), would have complained about the electoral system, but Trump told the world during the campaign period that the US’ system was not as perfect as they wanted to preach to other countries.

It was Trump, not us who spoke about a rigged election where even the dead are voting. At one point, he said he would not accept the outcome of the election, if the results were not in his favour.

So in Trumpland, winners have the right to cry foul. At the weekend Trump announced that he would constitute a commission of inquiry to look into voter fraud, and his deputy (Mike) Pence would head that commission.

But are Trump’s actions not hurting the US, that is if it not limping already, although most people would care less?

Take last Friday’s ban of nationals from seven Muslim majority countries — Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, Iran and Syria which is now before the courts. If he loses the case, will this give credence to those opposed to him, who refused to legitimise his presidency, or he will take that as a major lesson, and ensure that his secretaries of State and Homeland Security are responsible for ensuring that national security is maintained?

It is a wait and see game! But while some nations have decided not to make their stance regarding the ban known, Iran has not taken it lightly.

Tomorrow they commemorate the 38th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution of 1979 when the Shah was deposed, and they have promised fireworks.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday, tongue-in-cheek dismissed Trump’s threats against the Islamic state, and instead thanked him for unmasking the United States, so that the world sees its true colours.

According to various media reports that quoted a statement from his website, the Supreme Leader said: “We are thankful to (Trump) for making our life easy as he showed the real face of America,” Ayatollah Khamenei said at a meeting of military commanders in Tehran.

He added: “During his election campaign and after that, he confirmed what we have been saying for more than 30 years about the political, economic, moral and social corruption in the US ruling system.” What the writer reads from the Supreme Leader is that for 30 years, the US pretended to be what it is not, but Trump, using his anti-establishment approach is telling the world how porous they are.

He sounds like a fed-up whistle-blower who just decides to unmask himself. Wow! But, the real shockers are his disdain on the mainstream media — the CNN in particular. He has time and again accused the media of peddling fake news.

The CNN is the face of the United States of America everywhere, so, when Trump shredded them to pieces what was he saying about the US position on the international stage?

He has also gored the judiciary system. According to a live-streaming story on the Telegraph website yesterday, Trump launched “a blistering attack on judges in the ‘disgraceful’ travel hearing. The report says Trump denounced the three judges hearing the travel ban appeal.”

Trump said he had listened to Tuesday’s hearing with dismay: “I won’t say the court was biased. But so political!”

Russian President Vladimir Putin is one big challenge for the US and its allies, as Trump seems to like him. Of course the new US ambassador to the UN might have made strong remarks about Russia regarding Crimea and the Ukraine (maybe to appease the allies), but Trump has for now stood with Putin.

In an interview with Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, he summarised what the Iranian Spiritual Leader said on Tuesday.

Preposterous as it sounded, O’Reilly told Trump that he was associating with Putin whom he described as “a killer,” and Trump fired a real salvo: “There are a lot of killers. You think our country’s so innocent?”

Straight from the horse’s mouth. Therefore case closed! We wait for the other parts of his Africa policy, since three countries have already given us a hint of what to expect.