The world takes a shuddering breath
Speaking of the Scottish first minister John Swinney, Green Party leader Patrick Harvey said, “The first minister offered congratulations to the convicted felon Donald Trump on his re-election. Writing officially on behalf of the Scottish government he wrote that he is sure Scotland’s ‘social and cultural ties with the US will flourish during the presidency’ of a misogynist, a climate denier, a fraudster, a conspiracy monger, a racist, a far-right politician who tried to overturn an election result both covertly and by inciting violence. Words fail me. What social and cultural ties does the first minister think will benefit from a relationship with such a man?”
The leader of Britain’s Liberal-Democratic rose in the House of Commons, faced the Speaker and said, “Mr Speaker, president-elect Trump praised Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. And I quote, he called it, ‘Genius.’ He also said he would encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want to NATO allies. So what action is the prime minister taking to encourage a Trump presidency to change its mind? Because otherwise it’s a huge threat to global security and national security in the UK. Does he agree with me that the US will not oppose president Putin and support our brave Ukrainian allies?”
Meanwhile, Jagmeet Singh, the leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, also expressed deep apprehensions. “Canadians woke up today … worried about Donald Trump’s plans, which are going to hurt people. I expect that the prime minister will come out and state clearly that Donald Trump’s plans are wrong. The fact that he has proposed an across-the-board tariff is wrong. That’s going to jack up the price of everything. That’s going to hurt workers in Canada, and it’s going to hurt workers in the United States.”
Meanwhile, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, said Trump’s win was “bad news for the world, democracies, Europe, climate, women and Ukraine, a country fighting for freedom.” Her counterpart in London, Sadiq Khan, said many in London were “fearful about what it will mean for democracy and for women’s rights, or how the result impacts the situation in the Middle East and the fate of Ukraine.”
The leader of Ireland’s Labour Party, Ivana Bacik, tweeted, “Devastating US election result. A Trump win spells disaster on so many fronts … The US has made a choice — now the impact will be felt worldwide. Grim prospects ahead.” Spain’s deputy prime minister Yolanda Diaz echoed the sentiment, when she said, “Trump’s victory is bad news for everyone who understands politics as the means to improve lives rather than poison them with hate and misinformation.”
In other words, the world will require a new global leader. And when it comes to Russia and Ukraine, all indications are that the United States, under Trump, will abrogate that role. He will offer no moral leadership because he is, publicly and privately, a morally bankrupt man. He is unhinged, insane, stupid, thin-skinned, arbitrary and frankly terrifying. No one knows what he will do next, but virtually everyone understands that he doesn’t care who he hurts or who his actions destroy. This is the horrifying reality that Europe and much of the rest of the world is waking up to.
The universal sense is this time things will be much worse. Last time there existed no Republican majority surrounding Trump willing to do his bidding without hesitation. This time there is no such safety net. Trump spent the last eight years cultivating a coalition of evil monsters, and today those monsters are preparing to take up the full mantle of power.
Last time the world laughed at us. This time they tremble. Last time we awoke every morning wondering what new idiocy the fool in the Oval Office unleashed on us. This time we will wonder if we will wake up at all. A second Trump presidency is a thing too horrible to entertain.
Meanwhile, women members of the Belgian, Norwegian and Finnish governments filmed a powerful message. They stood in solemn silence with arms folded while the message appeared across the screen, “Dear American sisters, you are not alone. The Belgian Greens, the Norwegian Parliament, the Finnish Parliament stand with you.” Meanwhile, the world takes a shuddering breath.
Robert Harrington is an American expat living in Britain. He is a portrait painter.