An open letter to Donald Trump: Yes, Make America Great Again

Dear Mr Trump,

I like you. You are among the rare breed of political leaders who speak the truth (a bit rudely, but that’s totally and absolutely fine). Others merely put a gloss of words on policy and politics and then go on to pursue their agendas. I, too, am not a liar, Mr Trump: I say what needs to be said. Of course, given that truths are relative, both you and me can, at times, be wrong. But, as they say, Mr Trump, ‘to err is human'. From a business tycoon to the most powerful office in your country has been one kind of journey. You set out to redeem your country from malignant and malign influences: I can see that and you are absolutely right both in terms of the diagnosis and prescription of what ails your country. Your first term in office was tumultuous. You were and are the great disruptor, if I may borrow a term from business parlance. Or, you were an ‘insurgent’ par excellence. The challenges you set for yourself were humongous. One four-year term could never be enough for those.

Now, Mr Trump,  allow me to stick my neck out. Come November 2024, you will, for sure, win the elections. The presidential suite and office will, once again, be yours. This would constitute a great opportunity for you and your country for a grand new bargain and reset. You will obviously have learnt from experience and will, I am sure, be well-prepared for new challenges that emerge every day. But, given that I like you, I would like to offer a few suggestions (unsolicited, of course). You can mull over and if these carry any merit consider these.

First, Mr Trump, I would like to say that you have no competition. Really. Your opponents, in the Democratic camp are bereft of both leadership and ideas. They even stole your ideas on the economy and policy. Their intellectual and moral decrepitude matches the leadership deficit of their party. Oh, sorry, Mr Trump, I used the wrong word. I had actually meant bankruptcy of leadership. This then constitutes a good start and even a good omen for you, sir. Forgive me, sir, for using the word ‘omen’: I am like you in this sense. I like tradition, the values that stem from this and blend it with the modern. I am also somewhat conservative.

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Dear Mr Trump, I know you understand clearly the immense power that your country holds. This power, sir, must be wielded judiciously and wisely. Most of your predecessors have misused and squandered this power. Now, you have the picture-perfect opportunity to redeem both your country and its immense reservoirs of power. But for this, sir, you must (as you already do) have your own people in mind and their welfare. I am not a politician sir. I hardly know anything about politics. But I am interested in this genre of social life. Ultimately it determines what we do, who we become and affects societies and cultures in many ways. Dear Sir, given all this, the tasks and challenges you face are both delicate and of immense importance. What you will do, how you will do this will affect not only your country but the whole world.

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As I stated I am no politician or policy analyst. But I may have some insights to offer you. Allow me to share these with respect to you and your country sir. I shall start with MAGA, my dear sir. It is not a mere acronym or slogan. It is what it denotes and should happen: America must be made great. Toward this end, Mr Trump, the first thing you must do is to redefine what being an American means (in other words Americanness). Sir, your country is a mosaic of colour(s). Let it be that way. But sir, craft and create a standard of values around American-ness that does not jar with the united colors of America. This is your first task. Then there is the economy my dear sir. Forgive me for the use of this academic jargon. I don’t like academics, especially those with airy pretensions too. But, some words have to be used. So, back to definitions, sir. You need to (and must) redefine the middle-class (es) in America and make these more expansive. You know it as well as I do: the ‘American Dream’ is not working at all. You don’t, sir, have to be the pied piper like them Dems sir but you can be you and make this dream real for those left at the mercy and vicissitudes of fate and unknown, obscure forces. It is then you will redeem yourself sir. For this, you don’t have to entirely close your country. But a partial closure, my dear Sir, is necessary (Look at your country’s deficits, sir! They are appallingly glaring).

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This will enhance your country’s security and well-being, my dear Sir. Now that I mention security, please Sir, give me a few more moments of your time. America cannot and must not bear the burden of everyone’s security. (By the way Sir, I really liked it when you threw candy at boring Angela Merkel). Let the world pay and work toward its own security. Your country’s security umbrella subsidizes their indulgences and laziness, Sir. But Sir, if I may use a metaphor, of balance, you must be the holder of the overall balance Sir. By way of a digression, you are absolutely and totally right about world politics being grand transactions. I know that you see through the airy fairy talk by others of morality and values in interstate relations. You are not, forgive me the use of the word, a fool and none can fool you. But, Sir, even everyday transactions have some principles embedded in them. So, Sir, be transactional but underlay each transaction with some principle(s). This Sir, will give your country and your good self influence.

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I  am sorry Sir: I took more of your time than I should have. But bear with me a little longer, my dear Mr President Sir. (Ah you see, Freud was right. The subliminal and the unconscious, we cannot control it. It slips out!). Arrggh, sir, again I take your time. But this is the last point! Your country’s institutions have become unwieldy and unworkable. You are yet again right in having a dim view of these, Sir. It is here that your sharp and strong disruptive reflex must kick in. Be an insurgent, my dear Sir, but don’t start from scratch. Take these on only to reform them, only and only for the sake of the welfare of your country and its people Sir!

All this, my dear Sir, can happen only through you and the approach that you have chosen. Your country will be good for it and maybe even the world!

I hope sir that these suggestions of mine, you read. You have one full year to reflect, change the course of your country and alter the world’s direction. Thanks very much and Godspeed Sir!

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)