The four-year term of the current US President Trump will officially end on January 20, 2021, and his attempts to change the results of the general election will also end.
On January 7, local time, Trump issued a statement on Twitter through Dan Skavino, the head of the White House’s social media, “Although I completely disagree with the results of the presidential election, January 20 will There is an orderly transfer of power."
As a president who was "changed" by a businessman, what "political legacy" did he leave during his inauguration?
Trump makes more people "doubt" government agencies
According to the Associated Press, Trump may have left the "most lasting political legacy" for the United States by using the presidency to change people's views on government institutions.
Trump's "targets" include the FBI investigating the "Russian Gate", the "insufficient loyalty" Supreme Court, and the "disobedient" Pentagon.
In the 2016 presidential election, Trump was repeatedly accused of colluding with Russia.
In May 2017, the "Russia Gate" investigation was officially opened, and Trump subsequently fired Comey, the then director of the FBI.
According to people familiar with the matter, Comey asked the Ministry of Justice to allocate more funds for the investigation of the "Tong-Rumen" investigation.
In addition, during his tenure as President of the United States, Trump has appointed three Supreme Court justices and 220 federal court judges, which has brought a "conservative" influence to the US judiciary.
In addition to "attacking" government agencies, Trump has continuously criticized the "fraud" in the US electoral system, and has repeatedly sent out misleading information that may cause election results to be stolen by Democrats.
Richard Waterman, a historian at the University of Kentucky, who focuses on the study of US presidents, said, “Usually, losing presidents are willing to transfer power peacefully because they choose to accept the voting results of the American people. However, in Trump’s Among these actions, we have only seen attacks on democracy."
Historians who study the president of the United States agree that Trump has changed the meaning of the position of "President" and made more people "doubt" government institutions.
The Republican Party will continue to attract voters with "identity politics"
According to the "Boston Globe" report, Trump has "deep appeal" to white groups because he can understand the "resentment and victim complex in the hearts of white people". Such groups do not care about Trump's ambitions or lies. .
At the same time, they hope that there will be such a person who can maximize white supremacy in the United States.
Trump has satisfied their "illusions."
In August 2020, the Wisconsin State Police fired 7 consecutive shots at the back of a black man, causing the man to be paralyzed. Protests against racial discrimination and violent police enforcement broke out in the local area.
Some far-right groups "take the opportunity" to take to the streets, which led to shootings.
The 17-year-old white boy Kyle Rithouse shot at the protesters, resulting in two deaths.
However, the teenager subsequently became a "popular star" in American far-right media reports.
When talking about Rithouse shooting two people, Trump refused to condemn them, saying, "I guess he was in a lot of trouble. If he didn't shoot, he might be killed. Ritter House is probably defending himself."
According to the "Guardian" report, Trump secretly condoned this pattern of violence initiated by white supremacists and far-right groups, "seamlessly linked" to the 2020 presidential election.
In the first debate of presidential candidates held in September 2020, host Chris Wallace repeatedly asked Trump to condemn the violence of white supremacists and far-right groups, but Trump refused to do so. Also "evaded the host's question."
In 2018, the Pew Research Center of the United States released a study on voting data for the 2016 presidential election. Among them, 54% of white voters supported Trump, and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton received 39% of white support. .
According to the prediction of early voting data, in the 2020 general election, Trump still "wins" the white group, and about 57% of white people voted for Trump, and he also stabilized his "basic plate."
Analysts pointed out that even if Trump loses the election, discussions on identity politics will continue to influence the Republican Party for some time to come.
The U.S. cannot return to its diplomatic landscape before 2016
For American diplomacy, there is no single word or phrase that can simply define the impact of Trump's presidency.
According to the US Foreign Policy report, in the 2016 campaign platform, Trump believed that the rest of the world was “taking advantage of the United States”. He declared that he would put “America first” first and portray himself as a The "Master of Negotiation" promised to reach a perfect diplomatic agreement for the United States and usher in a "prosperous era."
But looking back on the past four years, Trump's promise only provided an "tempting vision."
Under Trump's leadership, the relationship between the United States and many allies has deteriorated, and its influence in the international community has gradually declined.
After Trump was elected president, the relationship between the United States and NATO has become increasingly tense, and he has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from NATO.
In July 2020, the Pentagon announced that it would withdraw 12,000 U.S. troops from Germany, of which approximately 5,600 were transferred to other NATO countries such as Italy, Belgium, and Poland. signal of.
In 2020, there was a global outbreak of new crown pneumonia. In this context, Trump announced his withdrawal from the World Health Organization, which had a negative impact on the global fight against the epidemic.
In addition, Trump also led the United States to withdraw from the "Paris Agreement", which has hindered global governance of climate change.
According to the “International Policy Digest” report, on the whole, the core feature of Trump’s foreign policy is “systematic incoordination.” His attitude is often diametrically opposed to some foreign policy research institutions within the government, which makes people feel “ confused".
With the official inauguration of the Biden administration, the United States may change its foreign policy.
But analysts pointed out that Trump’s “diplomatic legacy” will prevent the United States from returning to its diplomatic pattern before 2016.
■ Expert interpretation
American society is severely torn and still "unsolvable"
On January 6, local time, the U.S. Congress convened a joint meeting of the Senate and the House of Representatives to confirm the voting results of the Electoral College.
However, a large number of Trump supporters held demonstrations in Washington, DC, and they also broke into the Capitol. This chaotic situation eventually resulted in the death of 5 people.
On the afternoon of January 13, local time, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the impeachment case against Trump, making Trump the first president in American history to be impeached twice.
Diao Daming, a researcher at the National Institute of Development and Strategy at Renmin University of China and secretary-general of the American Studies Center at Renmin University of China, said in an interview with a reporter from the Beijing News that in the past four years, we have seen the internal and external difficulties of the United States. The result of the sexual problem is just a "microcosm" of American society.
Diao Daming said that at present, there is a serious tear between American political parties.
In the history of the United States, the Capitol riots can be regarded as "a page of shame", but 45% of Republican voters still believe that riots are "reasonable", which makes it difficult to bridge the differences between the two parties.
At the same time, in the context of economic globalization, the economic interests and social well-being of white groups with low levels of education continue to suffer.
However, this situation has not been alleviated in the past 4 years.
Diao Daming believes that racism is still an issue that cannot be ignored. The decrease in the number of whites and the change in traditional status have caused some people who support white supremacy to feel anxious, and white politics has gradually intensified.
Judging from the participants in this riot, most of them are white Americans, including not only some people who question the results of the presidential election and want Trump to be re-elected, but also some white supremacists and far-right groups, who have generated anti-governmentism. The idea eventually led to chaos in the Capitol.
In summary, no matter from the political, economic, or social level, the Capitol riots are the result of multiple difficulties. Some of the measures Trump has taken in the past four years are also a concentrated expression of the contradictions at home and abroad.
At present, the situation in the United States is getting more and more serious, and it is still "unsolvable."
Beijing News reporter Qian Yazhuo