SINCE TRUMP’S ELECTION victory, some of his apologists have suggested that those who are appalled by his election are “elitists” who should now hang their heads in shame.
They argue that we are all condescending liberals who don’t understand ordinary American folk. That argument is tendentious and should be rejected out of hand.
One only has to look at Trump’s initial appointments to see the most pessimistic warnings proven true. A man opposed to protecting human health advising on appointments in the health sector and possibly set to become Health Secretary. An Ambassador to Israel who believes Israel has a rightful claim to occupied Palestinian lands and has dreamed of building a holiday home there.
A Fox News host as Secretary of Defence, and the latest and most shocking of appointments from those on both sides of the aisle, highly controversial Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, his pick for Attorney General.
And if anyone has any doubt that Michael O’Leary was overhyping the importance of businessmen in politics, Elon Musk’s appointment to Trump’s Cabinet will quickly dispel any lingering doubts.
Sure, the Democrats made mistakes. Biden should have withdrawn from the race much earlier. Aspects of the truncated Harris campaign, including the clarity of its messaging, were poor. Yes, the Democratic Party should urgently analyse how it can better plug into voters’ concerns and do better next time — on the optimistic assumption, that is, that Trump doesn’t implement his plausible threat to make this the last truly democratic US election.
However, infinitely worse than running a poor campaign is running or supporting an immoral one. Only in a travesty of democracy is winning an election an end in itself. Only in an ethical wasteland does winning an election justify the use of deplorable arguments or supporting a politician who is a convicted felon, who seeks to overturn the outcome of elections that he hasn’t won, and who, in a reversal of Abraham Lincoln’s eloquent aspiration, appeals without fail to the “worst angels” of people’s nature.
So, no. It is not Kamala Harris and her supporters who today should hang their heads in shame, even if they must accept criticism for significant mistakes. They should rather be proud that they stood by the values of tolerance, of fairness and of democracy itself. Yes, they lost a vital election. But what they didn’t lose, unlike their opponents, was their dignity or their basic moral compass.
Those who should be ashamed are rather those who in recent years have supported, or remained silent, about Trump’s racism, xenophobia, misogyny and criminality. They should be ashamed about his cosying up to the world’s worst tyrants and his undermining of US democracy.
Winning an election is not a magic potion that can wash away the shame of those who have brought ignominy on their country or that can justify the havoc that Trump has been emboldened to wreak both at home and abroad.
A great many people around the world, including the vast majority of Europeans, are rightly horrified at the choice made by the US electorate. Like half of America itself, we will not be intimidated by the bullishness of Trump’s triumphalist apologists or by their utterly unwarranted high moral tone. Rather, we will redouble our support for our own democracies and fundamental values that face growing challenges, both from within and from outside.
It is hardly surprising that all of those who threaten Europe’s democracy and values are, without exception, strong supporters of the next US President: from Putin to his lapdog Orban in Hungary, from the disgraced Boris Johnson to the far right Alternative für Deutschland in Germany.
It is a measure of political sophistication and education levels in Ireland that Trump supporters here are relatively few and far between. The Taoiseach and Tánaiste were, of course, right to send their congratulations to Trump on his election. Ireland should seek to have the best relationship with the new US Administration that is possible in the challenging circumstances.
In common with every other country, Ireland should strive for pragmatic working relationships even with countries, the political leaders of which do not share our values. Moreover, there is a historical friendship between the Irish and American peoples that has withstood some ups and downs and will do so again.
Likewise, the European Union, with Ireland’s full support, will seek to work pragmatically with the Trump Administration, aiming to dissuade him from giving full effect to some of his most egregious campaign rhetoric. Of particular importance to Europe will be to avoid, if possible, a tariff war that would do significant damage to both parties, to maintain the US commitment to European security and to dissuade Trump from encouraging further war by throwing in the towel to Putin.
In this country, we should be both reassured and proud that our own current election campaign, apart from a small number of anti-migrant candidates on the far right, is largely devoid of the sort of populist rhetoric that has returned Trump to power. In comparison with most countries, we are comparatively well served by our political parties right across the political spectrum.
The highest priority of the next Irish Government must be to maintain and strengthen the decent and democratic values that distinguish us from Trumpian America. In that regard, our foremost obligation will be to take an ambitious approach to strengthening the European Union that remains, following the hopefully temporary suspension of traditional values in Washington, the world’s most significant bulwark in support of a democratic, decent, multilateral, law-based international order.
Bobby McDonagh is a political commentator and former Irish Ambassador.
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