Donald Trump has been elected as the 45th President of the United States. A year ago, people would believe that these words could have only been said by a delusional individual. Neither the political status quo, nor the Wall Street-based establishment could have imagined any such an event. While the Democratic National Committee, the Media, and even State Governments were conspiring to suspend Bernie Sanders’ anti-establishment revolution, Trump set his eyes on the Presidency.
What is one to make of these results? Indeed, Trump’s political campaign has been literally filled with behaviour non-typical of establishment politicians — rashness, rudeness, discrimination, and has led to hate, division, and discrimination in a country where it already flourishes. Whereas the media has paid an unprecedented level of attention to these unpolished moments on the campaign trail—in an effort to obtain higher ratings—there is a symbolic and philosophical meaning to Trump’s victory.
That is, Trump, being an outsider, defied traditional politics, outright rebelled against his own party, and won an election that was, in the eyes of the establishment, a ‘given win’ for Hillary Clinton. Trump’s economic, trade, foreign, and immigration policies defy the traditional boundaries of political practice, and economy-wise frighten major wall street bankers who are more than happy with the political status quo.
The question is, how will the establishment get around this obstacle to advancing the goals of the establishment? Indeed, if a Trump presidency was, say, as bad as a Sanders presidency, much stronger measures could have been taken against him. They must have at least had a back-up plan to continue to pursue their underlying policy directive: continued establishment New World Order, global capitalism, and destruction of any sociopolitical opposition. The following is a list of some areas of assurance the establishment has taken to make sure Trump is not a hinderance to their goals.
Firstly, due to the nature of the American government, the establishment still has enormous power. Traditional politics still dominate the American government: the Republican Congress, democratic Senate, and even the Supreme Court can be expected to maintain traditional political practice. The former two institutions can be expected to hinder any revolutionary policies.
Secondly, as was the case with President Bush, inexperienced Presidents have long learning curves. This makes room for close advisors to shape the President’s policy ideology. We can expect that Michael Pence, who represents a member of the republican orthodoxy (i.e. establishment), will play a crucial role in conducting American policy, so that Trump’s highly anti-establishment measures (e.g. acting as a mediator between Palestine and Israel) will be relaxed.
Finally, it is worth suggesting that the Supreme Court will act as a major obstacle even to Trump’s executive orders.
Based on the highly powerful presence of the establishment, we shouldn’t expect any revolutions to take place too soon. That being said, there are a number of reasons to think that there will be geopolitical change. First, we can expect that general policy directives and attitudes will at least have some influence of Trump himself. For example, even if a wall is not built, refugees may be blocked from entering the country. Secondly, Trump’s symbolic election will have reverberations in Europe, and will most certainly encourage far-right parties to gain prominence—similar to the effects of Brexit. These events can have major ‘butterfly effect’ impacts on the current geopolitical balance. These are just a few examples.
So, even if Trump’s election does not have major immediate impacts, it is possible that this small disruption in the American and global political systems and economies will lead to major ruptures in the current status quo in the future.