By Sushil Kutty
Former United States President Donald Trump was to travel to New York from Florida following his indictment and the “charges in a sealed cover”. More than three years ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had famously said ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkar’ which fell through notoriously and resulted in what is the infamous ‘January 6 Insurrection’. Democratic Party’s dreams of indicting Trump with ‘January 6’ did not come true, sigh! But with adult porn star Stormy Daniels in the Democratic corner, Trump is nevertheless in the dock, strengthening belief in the saying ‘end justifies the means’.
The Democrats were bent on unarming the disarming ’45th’ with whatever comes to hand. Trump has more enemies than there are orange hair on Trump’s orange-head! Equally, the same could be said of Trump’s friends, the majority of whom are Americans who would forgive Trump for committing murder on Times Square!
Trump is that sort; somebody who can push people to do his bidding. In 2015, Trump came down the escalator in Trump Tower and name-called every rival contestant to grab the keys to the White House. Nobody expected a Trump victory. Hillary Clinton the least; she couldn’t believe her pretty ears. The glass ceiling remained intact, unbroken.
And Trump’s promise to “drain the swamp” made him enemies on both sides of the aisle. Trump is the kind of man even Arnab Goswami swears is a charlatan. The Republic TV editor-in-chief never misses an opportunity to backhand Trump and wipe the teleprompter with Trump’s undoings!
But Donald Trump has lots of Indians, genuine nationalists, rooting for him, honest hardworking Indians – here, and among the diaspora around the world. After Trump turns himself in, one view says, he will still be able to contest in the 2024 Presidential election because he isn’t a violent felon and has no cases of violence lodged against him. Indian-origin Americans will swing to Trump’s corner once more.
Last heard, Donald Trump was leading the slate of GOP hopefuls for a 2024 presidential run, among them a pair of Indian-origin aspirants. Trump’s Secret Service agents were at the Manhattan courthouse where Trump was to arrive for the arraignment. It was expected to be raucous. The atmosphere frenzied with media focus, and protests on the sidewalks.
Manhattan Attorney General Alvin Bragg, who indicted Trump, is facing flak from Trump supporters, and Republican leaders. “What else can be expected from a ‘democratic’ attorney general?” was the refrain.
The charge or charges would be criminal. But Trump will not be handcuffed. He will be finger-printed and his mugshot taken from required angles. The mugshots will not be plastered on walls, and in public toilets. American democracy runs on principles that Indians often do not give to Indian democracy.
Donald Trump is seen as a votary of violence after January 6 though as the 45th President of the United States, he steered America clear from war. And nary a talk of WMD during his stint in the White House.
Republicans are expected to rally behind Trump in a big way. The Republican grassroots are a solid phalanx behind Trump and though the mainstream media are already writing obituaries for Trump, chances are Trump will, if allowed to run, once again win the ticket for a third presidential run, this time perhaps even win a second term!
Trump’s rivals for the Republican presidential ticket includes Indian-origin Nikki Haley, who was Trump’s UN ambassador, and possibly Trump’s estranged Vice President Mike Pence, who wouldn’t bet a single dollar of winning the ticket if Trump does not get dumped because of Stormy Daniels’ hush-hush money. Trump’s Republican rivals would be secretly wishing Trump never gets the option to walk out of the Manhattan courthouse.
That being said, the Trump camp was not giving in to any gloom. Trump’s fundraising efforts continued unabated. Over $4 million were raised the day before he travelled to New York. Ask Indians and they might want Donald Trump to be POTUS again, even if there are plenty who believe President Trump’s fate is fatally linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s fate in 2024! (IPA Service)
