Trump... the novel and the hurricane

It is one thing to reserve a prominent seat in the White House, but it is another thing to reserve a prominent seat in history. History is an eraser that can only be used by those who leave imprints that cannot be removed. To reserve a place in history, the American president must write his narrative so that it becomes a fixed item in his country’s narrative. The novel must have both the hero and the victim. The characteristics of the screaming man are well known. To be a leader and not just a president whose attractiveness will diminish if he loses the palace and the seals.

The heroism of these novels has conditions. To have supporters whose faith in you will not be shaken, no matter how intense the torrent of accusations leveled against you. And to have enemies who will disturb their sleep and who will not stop blowing on the embers of their hatred. And that your supporters consider you a victim if the courts summon you and the judges search your papers and days. And if major media outlets came down on you with their hammers and demanded a vaccination campaign to protect the country and the people from your epidemic. And if writers compete to dissect your mistakes, which are not simple, and your sins, which are not small.

In order for the conditions of the novel to be complete, it must appear as a turning point in shaping the destinies of peoples, countries, and alliances. And that you are able to unleash storms and repel storms. And that you are a boxer who is not tempted to retire or withdraw, and would rather fall in the ring than the title of the former president or the failed candidate. And that you have the talent of stealing the spotlight and imposing headlines even on newspapers that dream of mutilating your body. And that you have the talent of being reassured and being anxious. And ambiguity surrounds your options. And to surprise, astonish, and worry a country, a continent, or the entire population of the global village. And turn your weaknesses into strengths. And to turn a trap set for you and an opportunity to trap your enemies. And certainly no one knows what is deep inside your soul and the limits of your affections and hatreds.

It is not simple to worry about an old continent called Europe. May the days of the Emperor of China be long. And that the “comrade” sitting on the Kremlin throne should not be sure of the limits of your gifts. And anxiety should attack Zelensky. And for Iran to turn the matter around and wonder whether it should drink the cup of dealing or clashing with the man who ordered the killing of General Qassem Soleimani, who shook equations and changed the features of maps.

Trump is an exciting novel. He is a skillful player on the feelings of his supporters. A player skilled in confusing his opponents. Toy maker and store of surprises. A businessman relies on the secret of the “deal” to present himself as a cure for America, which he says has the antidote to stop its decline and restore its greatness. Not a general who led armies at a huge turning point. He is not an experienced expert in international affairs and the balance of power. He has short phrases that scratch the wounds of a section of the American public. The story is not complete unless its narrator is immortalized in the image of the victim. And conspiracies are multiplying and converging to prevent the “savior” from accomplishing his mission.

A few weeks ago, Trump received a precious gift. The eighties betrayed Joe Biden, who is clinging to extending his stay in the White House. Nothing is crueler than memory holes on screens. In front of viewers and critics thirsty for the blood of the victims. The Democratic Party was confused. Can the Trump hurricane be repelled by a man who confuses Zelensky and Putin? Biden is stubborn. He wants to enter history as the man who saved America from the return of an “imminent danger” named Donald Trump. He wants to save the world from populist drugs, temperamental politics, and from a president who bets more on tweets than on thoughtful policies and fleets. From the president who does not hesitate to break norms and the prestige of dictionaries, or turn the tables.

Biden is unlucky. If memory had postponed its betrayals until after the elections, the betrayals would not have become apparent within his party and among his friends. Storms and advice came from the holes of memory. How cruel it is to ask an old, stubborn horse to leave the race. As if one misfortune is not enough for him to fall into another, bigger and more severe.

This is the world of pictures. Pictures are faster than missiles and more terrifying. Pictures attack homes and memory and reside. How can you resist the image of Trump raising his fist and a streak of blood present on his cheek?! A young man who “hates Republicans and Trump” gave him the biggest platform and the golden opportunity to wear the garment of victimhood. Biden knows that most of those who were quick to condemn the assassination attempt were hoping for the downfall of the man whom they now denounce the attempt to eliminate with a bullet.

Violence is no stranger to America. Assassination was present from the beginning. Out of forty-five presidents, four were assassinated. Natural death claimed four others during their stay in the White House. Others were subjected to assassination attempts and plans against others were thwarted before she arrived on stage. It is no exaggeration to say that today's world fuels the tendency toward assassination with rumors, fabricated pictures, and rivers of hatred that flow through social media platforms in the absence of laws, dams, and restrictions. Today's world is bathed in hatred. The means of communication have provided limitless opportunities to express grievances, but they have also given a tremendous platform for the winds of hatred, revenge, fanaticism, and distortion of images and facts.

America goes to the elections and the world goes with it. America cannot resign from the world, nor can he. The fate of the empire of economics, fleets, technology, and universities means the future of the global village plagued by fear, poverty, injustice, and the wounded appetites of wolves. The former president stole the spotlight from football stars' shots. The results of the American “League” are the most important and dangerous. A new chapter in an exciting novel about a hurricane named Trump.

*Quoted from Asharq Al-Awsat