THE EDITOR: A prime minister that routinely uses "Trumpian" as a pejorative adjective will soon have to bite his tongue as Donald Trump swept back into the US White House on the heels of a – less than expected – tightly contested election.
Depending on how one looks at the data, Vice President Kamala Harris either underperformed or president-elect Trump over performed tremendously in key demographics, including Latinos and black/white men.
Trump's victory raises certain important issues. People interested in TT's political and economic well-being must call into question the foreign-policy wisdom expressed by our government, a view now repudiated by the US election results.
Prime Minister Rowley's administration, through its words and actions, quite clearly bet on a Democratic Party victory, a gamble that in hindsight was unwise but even ill-advised by anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of American politics.
The hubris and elitism expressed by senior cabinet members, inclusive of Stuart Young, Amery Browne, and Terrence Deyalsingh, who all at one point or another echoed the sentiments of their political leader and used the president-elect's name in a derogatory manner, must be questioned.
All politicians, especially those of a ruling party, must be sensitive to not embroil themselves in issues of foreign states for the villains of one day are the heroes of the next, and Trump has returned with aplomb, elected with an electoral majority.
A reckoning is due. The next assigned US ambassador will be well aware of the comments made by our current administration and one can only hope that they choose to look kindly upon our nation.
The future of the Dragon gas deal remains in the balance, with this US election casting a long shadow. Will the new president choose to pursue a hardline policy apropos to Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro? That remains to be seen, but how independent a foreign policy TT can chart will be further constrained.
I hope the current administration is prepared for the pragmatic diplomacy required moving forward.
KEVAL MARIMUTHU
via e-mail
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