Allure of the US election

I’ve got no idea who will win the US presidential election next month, but I’m stashing up on the popcorn. I pity the Americans.

If aliens ever land in America (they always land in America – just look at the movies) and tell someone to “take us to your leader”, I would be ashamed to introduce the intercontinental visitors to one of the two candidates.

If Donald Trump and Joe Biden are the two best they can come up with, it’s just sad.

But not as sad as many of my fellow South Africans, who hate or love Trump passionately. We pride ourselves in the fact that we hold democracy sacred, yet we refuse to allow Americans to make up their own minds.

Because, deep down, we believe we are more capable voters than the Americans. As if we weren’t the people who elected Jacob Zuma to lead us for almost a decade…

I don’t get emotionally involved. The winner won’t be my president. But the South Africans who attack or defend Trump as if their lives depend on it are the ones who amuse me.

Of course the election isn’t about Biden. It’s the possibility of Trump winning and losing that drives us.

I respect both sides’ arguments. Trump is a narcissist who shouldn’t be allowed near Twitter and he has a shockingly limited understanding of international affairs. He is also an absolute sexist – the reason why the lovely

Snapdragon hates the man. But he did good things with his deregulation, tax cuts, economic policy, job creation before Covid-19 and extremely undiplomatic diplomacy in the Middle East and the Korean peninsula.

“America owes China more than $24 trillion,” someone told me a while ago. Which, of course, is nonsense.

“He rescued the economy,” a Trump supporter told me. Which is bollocks.

“Trump allows the rich to pay hardly any taxes, while the poor have to foot the bill,” others say. The truth is that the richest 5% in the US pays 70% of all taxes.

I’m looking forward to weeks of misinformation, fake news and damn lies.

It makes no difference to me if the Americans elect The Don or Sleepy Joe as their leader. But I am bound to love my fellow South Africans even more.

Dirk Lotriet. Picture: Alaister Russell

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