Trump unfettered
The much-dreaded turbulence has begun, and that too on the very first day of US President Donald Trump’s second term. In a tearing hurry to Make America Great Again, Trump bombarded his country and the rest of the world with a slew of executive orders on Monday. He withdrew the US from the World Health Organisation, alleging that the global agency had mishandled the Covid-19 pandemic. His own handling of the coronavirus catastrophe was dreadful — over 3,50,000 deaths were reported in the US in 2020, the final year of his first term — but those glaring lapses are of no consequence to him now. He has washed his hands of international collaboration to combat any future pandemic.
Trump also signed America’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, whose main goal is to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Last year ended as the planet’s hottest on record, and the target looks even more improbable now with the US jumping ship. But the US President couldn’t care less as he is himself adept at turning up the heat on any foe, real or imaginary. No wonder he has warned that 100 per cent tariffs will be imposed on countries of the BRICS bloc, which includes India, if they dare to dump the dollar.
If Trump is to be believed, America’s golden age has begun (any resemblance to India’s Amrit Kaal is purely coincidental). None will agree with him more than the 1,500-odd protesters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a bid to prevent lawmakers from certifying his election defeat. The incident was a big blot on American democracy, but the President has chosen to reward his supporters for their loyalty by pardoning them. In stark contrast, there is bad news for those desperate to sneak into the US as Trump has declared illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border a “national emergency”. It’s America First for him — and the world must brace itself for the worst.
