Fables have their lessons in unmistakable terms. In one such fable, the cronies praise a naked king because they do not dare speak the truth. But an innocent boy has no such inhibition and he asks, 'Hey king, where's your robe?' He is more than a king and an emperor of any time in history. He is the lord of the only superpower and by extension the lord of the planet. And look at the melodrama he has been staging as its main character, a clown!
He is none other than the outgoing president of the United States of America, the country that boasts democracy at its finest. Indeed, President Trump is all set go down in history as an aberration of all that stands for democracy. When asked by the CNN about President Trump's last-ditch appalling effort to overturn results in Michigan, veteran journalist and political analyst Carl Bernstein caustically remarked that it was 'a mad king's last act'. He observed that it was the culmination of lies, lunacy and tantrum that the president was known for during his four year term.
Sane people not just in America but also all across the world are concerned about how the denouement takes shape. In defiance of the long tradition of the USA's transition of power, Trump has not only not conceded defeat but is also looking for all kinds of backdoor intrigues to stay in power. He won't accept reality, the simple fact that American electoral system does not allow any leeway for him to set aside election results approved by different state election commissions.
The British Broadcasting Corporation in its Panorama showed how deeply divided America is under President Trump. Gun-toting white supremacists express their resolve in no uncertain terms what they are after. Even common US followers of Trump would not listen to reason but rather subscribe to Trump's Goebbelsian theory of lies becoming truth after repeated utterances. They believe election has been stolen and are bringing out massive rallies in support of Trump in several places. There are reasons to be worried about the mode of transition.
Bernstein, however, sounded positive informing that senators in the Republican camp have started questioning the latest Trump ploy in that he summoned Michigan's Republican leaders for subverting the democratic process. Those who met the president stayed in Trump's hotel, raising many an eyebrow. The good news is that the Michigan GOP (grand old party) delegates made it clear that they have no power to alter the result. Bernstein added that Republican leaders will soon distance themselves from Trump because his anti-democratic stance is corrosive. Trump's influence will soon diminish and his base will crumble. The news anchor then cited Trump's fresh initiative to raise fund for carrying on pro-Trump movement. In answer to this, Bernstein said that not all the 70-plus million voters who voted for Trump are rabid supporters. They will realize the falsity and deception that characterised Trump's policies.
In the meantime, President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration to the White House has been constrained by Trump administration's refusal to share vital information. Access to such information has been traditionally mandatory so that the new administration can take the on-going programmes forward. Now Biden and Harris have been forced to raise funds for carrying out programmes, particularly on Covid-19 and smooth distribution of vaccines awaiting approval from the US Food and Drug Administration. Trump's melodrama has its uncanny twist here as well.
Then again, Trump has divided the American nation in more ways than one. The one so farcical and yet most serious concerns wearing face masks or not. In that sense, the Americans are divided in these two camps ---in favour of mask and against mask. How ludicrous! The CNN has been carrying out an advertisement on mask where it has to claim, 'It's not a political statement'. People the world over have a case against Trump ---he has, with his anti-mask politics, mislead not only his supporters and countrymen but also many others in the wide world.
The question is who will tell point blank like the boy in the fable that Trump does not have any robe to cover his shame before he retreats into history's dungeon.
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