Everyone is asking each other: "How did the American people choose Trump?" While the answers to this question are generally similar across countries, I found a particular study on this topic to be extremely successful.
Jeremy Shapiro from the European Council's Foreign Relations has attempted to answer this question in an article. While writing a "guide to understanding the US" for Europeans, I would say he has also made it easier for us.
Shapiro first states: “The fear and hatred that Trump has created in ‘institutional’ entities, from the New York Times to the US Senate, is seen as proof that he has accomplished something.Trump’s 91 criminal cases, the countless civil suits against him, and the apocalyptic scenarios claiming that his re-election would destroy the US can also be viewed as products of blind hatred. The key question, however, is: "Why do the political centers in the US hate Trump?”
I wouldn’t be wrong to say that Shapiro’s article begins to expand around this question. It suddenly references the various interviews conducted by Kevin Roberts, the president of the conservative Heritage Foundation, in Washington.
Roberts stated to a group of evangelical radio broadcasters in Texas, “The political elite hate Donald Trump,” and continued, “Because he threatens their agenda, their privileges, and their aspirations for heights. And most importantly, what disturbs them the most is the threat to their power.”
Although what Roberts represents seems to be labeled as "institutionalizing Trumpism" in the New York Times, it has in fact mobilized for a much more radical and larger change.
Heritage, together with similar think tanks, has released a "Leadership Mandate" document of over 800 pages on how a new Republican administration will govern the country.
“Now it’s Trump’s turn”
Now let’s pay attention to this: The primary failure of the first Trump administration, according to Roberts and many other Trump supporters, was believing it could make a revolution with the old elites.
For them, those who obstruct Trump’s conservative policies include the entrenched bureaucracy of the state, America’s media and cultural institutions, and even politicians that Trump himself appointed.
They believe that unless they eliminate these elites first, they will face the same fate again. Therefore, Heritage has compiled a database of tens of thousands of potential government appointments that would break the power of the elites who have long ruled Washington.
In other words, they will replace all bureaucrats in key positions with new names they found to eliminate the bureaucratic oligarchy. In fact, they will erase the current state mentality and replace it with a new one.
It doesn’t surprise me, as the new conservative understanding is curious to even dismantle functioning institutions and invent new ones, so we can say, “Now it’s Trump’s turn.”
“President Trump will take power back from the elites,” says Roberts, illustrating how far the new conservatism is heading. Apparently, a war has already begun between Trump and the US deep state.
All signals indicate that a serious war will begin between Trump and the "establishment"
For this reason, in my previous writings, I constantly emphasized, "Unless there is another assassination attempt before January 20.”
The “Leadership Mandate” study also presents a plan to render the deep state ineffective. Roberts has stated in the report, “There are more than two million unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats who resist reforms illegally and unconstitutionally.”
In the meantime, Elon Musk's social media post directly targeting the US deep state or government mechanism was also striking. All signals indicate that a serious war will begin between Trump and the "establishment". Moreover the deep state.
In summary, according to the author of the article, a significant part of Trump’s appeal comes from the hatred he generates between both Republican and Democratic institutions in America. Every lawsuit filed, every "never Trump" banner, and every attack by the elite reinforced voters' belief that Trump is doing something right.
Anti-elitism
Prominent Republican pollster Sarah Longwell states, “The hatred towards the political elite is very widespread.” Roberts, head of Heritage, told the gathered evangelicals in Texas before the election, “We are electing a president, not a preacher. We should not let people who are enemies of our religion, enemies of our freedom to practice our religion, and enemies of our right to raise our children in our faith tell us how to vote.” This seems to have had an impact.
In the states where US government officials are dense, Kamala Harris winning is quite noteworthy from this perspective. The officials and bureaucrats of the current government have clearly shown that they do not want Trump.
The author of the article ties all of this together with the following conclusion: "Liberal Europeans need to stop asking how Americans could vote for Trump; they must accept that similar developments could also occur in Europe.
Simply copying populist policies on issues like immigration does not satisfy the anti-elitist sentiment
Anti-elitism is becoming the defining political ideology of the West, expressing the deep chasm that has opened between the governed and the governing.
Simply copying populist policies on issues like immigration does not satisfy this anti-elitist sentiment. Voters do not have to like the candidates or policies they vote for; it is enough for them to be against what they dislike."
Of course, these are strong but need confirmation. Still, it is not possible to categorically say whether Trump, who was elected president by a rare majority of votes in the US, will be able to fundamentally change the American governmental mechanism.
Internal changes
However, it is certain that after the inauguration ceremony on January 20, he will make a move to simultaneously change both government policies and government officials.
If he can do this quickly and smoothly, he will focus all his attention on foreign policy and foreign trade. However, if the changes are prolonged and painful, he will struggle to concentrate and will make hesitant moves.
Trump appears to have outmaneuvered new politics with ancient politics. I believe this adventure has just begun - Emre Alkin
Of course, since everyone is aware of what he wishes to do, from China to Mexico, from Russia to the Middle East, and from Europe to Latin America, he will work hard to prevent the focus from shifting outward and to dedicate more time to internal changes.
As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, Trump is one of the rare figures who can attract both widespread hatred and affection. He has the ability to unite enemies against himself as well as to gather supporters in his favor. A saying that was remarked a thousand years ago in the Mediterranean region comes to mind:
“There are no eternal and everlasting enemies here, only threats and opportunities…”
Trump appears to have outmaneuvered new politics with ancient politics. I believe this adventure has just begun.
