What Trump means to the whole world by Tunde Akande

Trump will rule America with a strong hand and that is going to affect the definition and practice of democracy worldwide.

Donald Trump, the 47th president of the United States of America recently inaugurated is not necessarily a bad man, neither could he be described as a good man. Whether he is good or bad is not the matter but what he symbolizes to the whole world. Ten or twenty years ago it cannot be imagined that a tough man like Donald Trump would emerge as a candidate talkless of president of the great nation of America and one of the biggest democracies in the world.

America has always presented men who whether by pretension or real look to the world as the quintessence of leadership. They are dapper in suits and sound as out of this planet, as if God sent them to solve the problems of the world. But in his first term, Donald Trump looked like any of us on the street, no finesse, no air, just say it as it is. Nobody thought he was going to win but he did. His four years as the 45th president was stormy that he almost was going to extend his tenure by another four years by a coup. It took all the military heads in America to sign an accord that they will not take over the government of America. Hordes of Trump supporters invaded the Capitol. It had never been seen in America. Providence saved the day, Trump left unceremoniously, not greeting his successor, old man Joseph Robinette Biden.

But the four years of Biden as president was like a design to make Trump popular. Biden is old and seem to be unhealthy for the office. At least once he fell in the public. Something was happening to the usually charisma filled presidency of America. Biden wanted a second term but just one debate with Trump who had won the nomination of the Republican Party sent enough signal to everybody in the Democratic Party that a Biden candidature will mean an easy win for Donald Trump and the Republicans. Biden himself knew he was no match for the loquacious and aggressive Trump. He quickly stepped down and Kamala Harris, Biden's deputy was substituted. Even before that, rumour was rife the Barrack Obama was scheming to get his wife, Mitchell to run as president in place of Joseph Biden. Well it appeared that the scheme didn't work because Mitchell Obama was said to have declined the offer.

Trump's narrow escape of a fatal shot of a snipper while he campaigned gave him a further edge in the elections that even blacks who said he discriminated against them in his first term voted for him. Former president Barrack Obama exclaimed America was doomed if Trump won the election but he won. What will be the outcome of that Trump win on America and on the world must be the serious engagement of analysts of world affairs. Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, a renowned foreign affairs expert has warned President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria to avoid "confrontation with Trump” a warning which probably won Akinyemi a fresh appointment as the Chairman of the board of the Lagos based Nigeria Institute of International Affairs, where he was a Director General some decades before and from where he was appointed Minister of External Affairs during the military regime. The appointment looks like Bola Tinubu saying "Bolaji come around me, I will need you in these stormy years." No analyst must close his eyes to the fact that the world cannot be the same again. There is change on the earth which the Trump administration is signifying. "We in America lead the world into tomorrow by our freedom and by the fact that while other nations may compete with us in other areas no one comes close in our expression of freedom which the Torch of our Lady freedom symbolizes and in our always renewing our nation because our strength comes from accepting new persons from all corners of the Earth to become Americans, thus drawing on their talents while others nations hang on to their stale past,” according to former president of America, Ronald Reagan. That singular advantage is lost now because President Trump and all Americans have jettisoned the idea of leveraging the advantage of welcoming anybody from any corner of the Earth on American soil to become a citizen. Trump has decreed that vital provision in the Constitution of America. Though a court in America has ruled against Trump's order as unconstitutional, it is doubtless that Trump and his legal advisers will fight that out in the court. Observers await the titanic legal battle.

Not only has Trump wiped out the possibility of anybody becoming a fresh citizen in America, Trump by another order has empowered agencies to search out anybody who may be an illegal resident in America and arrest them for deportation. About 358 of such have been reportedly carried back to their nations by military jets since Trump’s inauguration on 20th January. For nations, and many African countries are involved who depend on foreign remittance from America to shore up their foreign exchange, this is a blow of immense proportion. Nigeria and other African countries must especially look for other avenues of securing the mighty dollar. But other avenues seem closed also. Trump is competing with nations to attract investors to America. Companies who come to produce in America will enjoy the lowest tax available anywhere in the world but those who will not, will pay through their noses to have their goods distributed in America. The meaning of that is that export into America will be near impossible. Nigeria's oil for example will be affected. Trump says America will "drill oil." In other words, America is going to step up domestic drilling of oil, so other oil producing nations may well be content with drinking their oil. Nigeria will be especially affected and will need more competent executives than those who currently are in its oil industry, at least from the government side. The time of recruiting people into her oil industry based on ethnicity must be over. Competent persons will be needed to help the nation in this season. Trump has jettisoned the electric car. Where will Nigeria’s plans to lessen the pain of petrol subsidy removal be. This will be precarious and it will tax policy makers to the core.

Trump exudes a nationalism like was seen on the African soil in the independence era. And that is a significant change that will give rise to nationalism in all parts of the world. Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Director General of the World Trade Center, has signified a rise of trade battle which will not bode well for the world but what can she do? Looks like America will attract all companies from other parts of the world. Just immediately after Trump pronounced those policies, a company, Stargate says it is investing $500 billion in America's AI. Saudi Arabia says also she will be investing $600 billion in the same America. Trump will tax other nations to enrich Americans. That is very significant because America has the means to do that. Its meaning is that other nations will grow lean while America an already fat nation gets fatter. This will strengthen nationalism and weaken international cooperation.

Liberal democracy may be on its way out as a government system. Trump does not seem democratic. He did not mind continuing into a second term in his first coming by a coup. All the rascals who fought for him, some of them willing to overthrow government and who were committed to jail, Trump has released or reduced their jail terms, signifying to Americans that changing government by violent means is in order. That is going to reverberate all over the earth and nations who are prone to violent changes will be energized. Africa especially will be centres of interest to watch. America has no good example in democracy again. For nations who will have their nationals deported, the message is for them to stay in their nations and compel change of their government whose leaders have mislead the nations, stolen their money and brought them to shame. There is nowhere to run to again. The western nations are not exempt in this. Kemi Badenoch, the British Conservative leader is Trump's counterpart in this cry for nationalism. Her focus is her adopted country of Britain and she has no heart even for her original country, Nigeria. China has forever been closed and they are going to tighten up further. Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, the new Chairman of the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs took a look at Trump's inaugural speech and said he saw nothing there for the world. Everything is for America. Trump's policies will lead to revolution in many countries. African countries and Latin America are in soup. They have to depend on themselves. The days of foreign aid are gone.

A significant blow to democracy was signified when a Congressman, Andy Ogles of Tennessee sponsored a motion for an amendment to the Constitution which will enable Trump to seek a third term. Presidents like him who lost a second term but win a come back will also enjoy that privilege. Although some have said the motion will be defeated, they seem not to notice that significant changes are happening in America by Trump’s victory. Things never thought of as being possible to happen are happening. The motion will succede and democracy will change in scope. Trump will rule America with a strong hand and that is going to affect the definition and practice of democracy worldwide. A withdrawal from WHO may mean death of the organization and worse health for low income nations, especially in Africa. It may mean a weakening of the United Nations too. The war in Ukraine will definitely stop because Trump will withdraw all the facilities to NATO. Who then will rebuild a ruined Ukraine? America will not because Trump is focusing on America for America. That will be a lesson for nations to stay neutral in the war of the superpowers. What is the future of BRICS. Not rosy! But China and Russia will fight. Our own Bola Tinubu certainly cannot afford to confront Trump because we are very weak. Tinubu will thank his stars if these Trumpian policies and a changed world they showcase do not spin a revolt in Nigeria. Nigerians are currently very tortured and pained.

First Published in METRO

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Tunde Akande is both a journalist and pastor. He earned a Master's degree in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos.