The American President’s warning towards his compatriots on the dangers posed by a possible election of Trump, not just for the USA but the entire world, is also a stark messaged on democracy going down the slippery and dangerous path of populism. The 69-year-old tycoon gives voice to a new brutality and violence, with a mental and emotional cruelty that is unfortunately finding a response among considerable sections of the population.
A prime representative of the establishment and cruel plutocracy, he has managed to pretend to be the champion and defender of democracy and the people who are facing problems due to globalization. And this is occurring in the country that mainly benefits from open markets and the financial bubble.
Donald Trump may have started off as a colorful candidate, but he has ended up being treated as the most dangerous man on the planet, with the latest polls suggesting that he might actually become President. As underlined by 400 distinguished economists in an open letter, this is a dangerous and catastrophic option because he misleads voters, undermines trust in the institutions with conspiracy theories and intentionally promotes delusions.
He denounces in both fair and unfair ways the political establishment in Washington as corrupt, demands isolation in the form of protective tariffs, he wants walls and bans on the border. He attacks minorities and offers to uninformed citizens the authoritarian vision of a strong leader who will solve all problems by ignoring democratic achievements and institutions.
He found fertile ground in the conditions created by a rampant market economy, which is compressing the middle classes and widening the gap between the rich minority and the masses struggling to maintain conquests from the past. We can see this after all in Europe, where various populist demagogues invest in nationalism and xenophobia to entice the scared electorate.
The elections next Tuesday are not a gamble for democracy just for the USA, but the entire world. Despite the checks and measures of the American democracy, a Trump win will open a can of worms that will legitimize demagogues and populists across the globe and will bring forward situations out of control in international relations.
TO VIMA
