President Trump is now the 47th President of the United States. He took the oath of office during a ceremony today at Capitol Hill. The event was moved indoors due to fears of inclement weather.
He took office for the second time. His first term in 2017 drew critics and plaudits alike. His run was threatened by a shooting attempt at a campaign rally, but he went on to win against Kamala Harris.
An interesting detail overlooked since President-Elect Trump’s win earlier this month is the success of JD Vance as his Vice President. Not since Sarah Palin has a relatively unknown and yet folksy candidate made it so far in the populist wing of the Republican party.
His impact on the American landscape is not yet as commonplace as his predecessor’s, and Kamala Harris set a high bar for what’s expected from a successor. Her campaign, albeit a late-run, still managed to touch in with Democrat voters and put across a lot of points.
In previous administrations, the success of a Vice President is set against the record of their senior partner, who takes prominence in the most powerful political office in the world. This time around, it looks as though self-starters are able to make a go of it too.
Vance himself is able to articulate a point well. His first book, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, has been in The New York Times bestsellers list for 85 weeks, an impressive feet in a country that prides itself on a literary culture of fact and fiction.
However, the practice of politics is often won or lost in person as voters confront their representatives, and leaders in power. This is where he may find it more difficult to navigate people’s thoughts and opinions. It’s not simple backing Trump, let alone being at his side.
The incoming Trump presidency is no small matter for the left in America, and in particular, of course, the Democrat party. They’re going to be preparing their rebuttals, delays, and monologue’s over what appears to be a takeover of the executive to rule America by iron will.
The reality, however, is an alternative platform to such a diatribe. The fact is the left has increasingly made their policies – and positions – too radical for public consumption. It’s a fact now even college campuses are taken over by protesters who feel they’re not liberal enough.
The ideology of the left, and partly the Democrat party, is not difficult to hear but it’s complicated to trace. It harks back to former eras, and times when their intellectual forbears said things which made sense in the moment, and this is what informs the mantras of today.
The Democrat party, a legitimate party of state and the other half of a two-party system, borrows heavily from such a tradition. It sees it as a powerful mode of intercourse with the American public through its established media organs. It hits hard, and sits well.
The trouble is fighting back is expensive, and sometimes complicated, if the left are also undergoing a periodic and spontaneous bout of activism. The attention drawn to it by law enforcement, legal hawks, and experts, gives a third way type of legitimacy that’s hard to rebuke.
The real Democrat party is found in its leaders, however, and the communities where it matters. It’s tough to know what a Democrat is now feeling if they’re not spoken to and heard. The sentiments shared during town halls or private gatherings are part of understanding.
The legitimacy of our media is weak in comparison. It’s because we can’t expose too much of how America feels on its own behalf, and we also have to give a reason for why we’re even interested. The point is that if America doesn’t even speak for itself, we’re in an echo chamber.
A case in point is an interview by GB News with Eric Trump, a son of President-Elect Trump, who said overseas citizens observing American democracy should make an effort to be respectful. It’s an important part of his nation’s culture, but he obviously feels it’s under attack.
The point scoring in UK political culture is different from the agenda setting moments in the American equivalent. The fact is a narrative is proven through by what happens, and not just by what’s said. If it’s a relevant point, it’s only so because it otherwise proves true.
The lack of connectivity between UK media outlets and America as it is can be unsettling. The onscreen interviews that last seconds are not sufficient to get the gravity of an election process, nor does it do justice to the lived experience of those who love their country, too.
In the inner workings of either the Democrat or Republican party are those deeply held concerns about future prospects. Maybe they’re worried about the other side. It also may be constant preoccupation with voting, and how a policy agenda will work out in the long term.
The likelihood is the Democrats will be calculating the wins or losses of a Trump presidency as it moves forward, while also working on its own game. It has a loss to process but also a future election to contest and its public – and private – considerations that are important here.
There are particular people who come out strongly against Donald Trump after he wins an election. It happened in 2016, and didn’t stop after he lost the 2020 election, either.
The ‘look’ they give us is a window into their soul. It shows us what it’s like to feel things as they do. It’s clear that some people feel bad when stuff like this happens.
The memes posted on social media accounts have the look of anecdotal rage or a generic impression of a large group of people. In fact, it reflects only a niche.
The slogans have the important points being made, as if to impress on us a campaign stop in just a moment. They have buzzwords that make liberals cry.
Unfortunately, they’re also dark in nature. They express feelings of fear, whilst giving off a threat in themselves. It’s something of an impression of real grievance.
The truth is supposed to hurt, as they see it, and in some ways people who are obsessive feel it in their heads. It’s just we also need to feel it in our hearts, too.
In a quick look at Donald Trump’s win, it looks as though he gained victory by less votes – and a lower turnout – than his last run in 2020.
His electoral vote result is much higher, of course, and it demonstrates a confident win for him against Kamala Harris.
The general elections in the UK and the US have few similarities. It’s difficult to draw parallels between Rishi Sunak MP (Richmond and Northallerton/Conservatives) and Donald Trump, and Sir Keir Starmer MP (Holborn and St Pancras/Labour) and Kamala Harris.
The one coincidence is both occur on significant holidays in the respective countries. The UK election fell on Independence Day, the highest holiday in the US. In the US, their election has fallen on our Guy Fawkes Night, which continues to be symbolic for us.
As the US election ends, it’s worth looking back at the figures. So far, over $1.3 billion has been raised by the respective campaigns.
The majority – nearly $1 billion of it – belongs to Kamala Harris, who out raised Trump by over $500 million, despite a last minute effort.
The US election is entering its final stages and both candidates are ramping up their efforts. Their events have gotten larger, bringing in even bigger viewing audiences, making their speeches trend online.
Trump has relied on the endorsement of Elon Musk, a business polymath engaged in car manufacture, space travel, and social media. It’s a boost to his formulaic outdoor rallies, and direct appeals to voters.
Kamala Harris has drawn praise from icons such as Bruce Springsteen, Barack Obama, and Beyonce Knowles. Her public events have also increased in their appeal, and significance, in her campaign.
As America votes, it’s also worth thinking about what else is at stake apart from the Presidency. In this election, the entire House of Representatives and 34 seats in the Senate are also up for grabs to make up a new Congress. It means thousands of candidates are stating a case across America at the same time as Trump and Harris are making theirs.
The Congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is using her social media to reach out in a mixed-message campaign, to not just win back her seat but also spread an anti-Trump, pro-America agenda. The slick messaging is intermixed with shots of fresh-faced supporters at events, demonstrating a fervor behind a radical agenda to transform America.
The debate Trump started by his 2016 candidacy and fueled by his Presidency has featured such politicians heavily. He’s faced constant criticism by them for key policies. He’s challenged over legitimacy and credibility. He’s also rebuffed persistently in person and over media channels for his presentation style, off the cuff comments, and backstory.
In a US election campaign a candidate usually has to go all out to raise enough dollars to push their competition out. It’s what we’re told, and since success relies a lot on advertising and increasingly on campaign stops, it makes sense to put in a lot of effort.
The total for the Presidential election this year has exceeded $2.5 billion dollars, taking into account all the candidates on either side. Kamala Harris has reached $900 million and Donald Trump just over $375 million according to the Federal Election Commission.
This demonstrates a strong proposition put forward by the Democrats on their ticket, with a Vice President and amiable Governor. It also suggests a sluggish campaign by Trump with fatal threats nearly carried out and difficulties in keeping a positive public image.
In a social media post, former US President Barack Obama has showed his support for American democracy by posting his ballot.
It comes after years of disputes about mail ballots, with the likes of Trump and his associates saying it’s unsafe and open to fraud.
The Jan 6 riot at the United States Capitol building in Washington D.C hasn’t gone down as a good look for America.
It’s been an even worse situation for Donald Trump, who didn’t endorse political violence prior to it and whose activities haven’t involved it at all.
He doesn’t see himself as an activist, and neither is he leading a movement akin to Civil Rights that might conflict with law enforcement.
The ‘moment’ that Jan 6 now is has been tied to his own character and his candidacy for a while now, and he can’t shake an accusation he wanted it to happen.
The reality is left and right have caused immense disturbance in American politics of late, and it was the Capitol building itself that took it because of Trump’s focus on politics.
The left have a fair share of involvement in radical ideas and vociferously take unction with democracy itself. Their manifestos – as piecemeal as they are – include dismantling it.
Donald Trump, meanwhile, has attempted to run political campaigns. It’s his third attempt – the second unsuccessful – and shows he still puts a lot of store in it.
The accusations that’ve wound a way around his neck Congress were able to prove but few supporters of his felt they can accept.
The truths Trump tells his supporters are found in the US constitution, yet the gameplay of the Democrats has been largely litigious for some time.
Trump’s supporters don’t expect it, and from 2016 they’ve known virtually nothing else. The election puts America back on course for a legitimate outcome, but not without acrimony.