Trump was the cock of the walk, now he’s a feather duster
US President Donald Trump (left) and Democratic Presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden.
What you need to know:
- Trump became an isolated man.
- Many of his advisers fled the scene in one last desperate act of self-preservation
As our hearts leaped at the historic win of US President and Vice-President-elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, our gaze was averted towards the incumbent Donald J. Trump. We wanted to see Trump’s reaction to Biden and Harris’ victory.
Would he, like President Obama before him, call Biden to congratulate him on his election and invite him to the White House the next morning for a cup of coffee and a meeting to discuss a smooth transition? Would he make an impassioned concession speech like the great man before him — Senator John McCain — thank Biden and Harris for a good fight while encouraging the 71 million Americans who voted for him to stay the course and support the President-elect?
None of that has so far happened. Instead, Trump has taken to social media to disparage the US election and make unsubstantiated claims that it was stolen”.
He has released his fiercest attack dogs, including his lawyers Rudi Guiliani and his son Eric Trump, to make allegations of election fraud and condemn the “lamestream” media for calling the election in favour of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
The greatest lesson we learn from this election is not really how to deal with loss, but the fact that all glory is fleeting. Until Saturday night, President Trump was the most powerful man in the world. Then he lost an election. Just like that, it was gone. Finished. Kaput. Trump became an isolated man. Many of his advisers fled the scene in one last desperate act of self-preservation. There are reports that some of his family members have beseeched him to accept defeat.
His international buddies like India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi quickly deserted him congratulated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their “spectacular victory”. His best pal, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Biden and Harris in a twee: “Joe, we’ve had a long & warm personal relationship for nearly 40 years, and I know you are a friend of Israel. I look forward to working with both of you (sic).” This tweet, by the way, might have led President Trump to “unfollow” Netanyahu on Twitter, the modern-day symbol of ending a friendship in a digitised world.
Yet, even as Trump stubbornly refuses to reach out to Biden and facilitate a smooth transition, Americans and the world seem to have moved on. Biden and Harris have swung into action and announced a Covid task force that will help the country navigate the pandemic. May we learn that life will go on long after we are gone.
As Americans and the world at large look forward to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20, 2021 at noon EST, let us not forget the wise words of Margot Barber: “One day you are the cock of the walk, the next a feather duster.”
