The Trump Storm

Hannes Wessels,

For anybody who enjoys following world news, whether you like the man or not, Donald Trump is certainly making for fascinating reading and viewing, triggering massive mayhem in all sorts of ways in all sorts of places.  I must confess, I’m enjoying watching the political gymnastics of some of those caught up in the whirlwind! 

After Jacob Zuma, I, like many South Africans, was guardedly relieved to see Ramaphosa take power, and dared to hope the country might be steered on a more sensible course. Unfortunately, those hopes have been well and truly dashed. While presenting a more polished façade than his predecessor, corruption and incompetence continue to characterise ANC misrule; and while the people suffer, he has been very visible and vocal comporting himself around the world bestowing his imagined wisdom on lesser mortals who lack his sagacity.

To tumultuous applause from many at home around the world, he led the legal charge against Israel at the ICC (International Criminal Court), cozied up to Iran, and with much aplomb, signed the confiscatory Land Expropriation Act into law. Then came shock and outrage when the president of the United States pilloried him in public, suspended aid and let him know in brutally blunt terms that institutional racism and chronic anti-American behaviour has consequences. This unprecedented abuse upset dear Cyril greatly.

The reaction from the presidency has been multi-faceted. Predictably, the Afrikaner-led pressure group, AfriForum got it in the neck first for tittle-tattling, and then Elon Musk got a call from Ramaphosa. Just what was said is unknown, but he clearly got little traction from Musk who is still waiting to be told why South Africa has more racial laws on the statute books than existed under Apartheid, and who refused to release Starlink into the country because he has to give 30% of the company to one of Cyril’s pals.

The president then went on to mollify the many who know how much a trade-war and poor relations with Washington will cost the economy and the people of South Africa by telling them he was busy constituting a ‘high-powered’ delegation to travel to the US. This group, Ramaphosa believes, will explain and placate the  Trump’s administration! But it looks like we will never know, because the Americans don’t seem to have anyone in high places with the necessary time and inclination to meet them. This seems to have rattled Cyril, who has taken to the hustings at the G20 (America only represented by low-ranking consular officials) and elsewhere to rabbit on about the ‘catastrophic reality’ of ‘climate change’ and that familiar refrain about ‘reparations’ for slavery. And now, just in case there might be a little glory in the offing, he has invited the Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky on a State Visit.

This latest gambit might add insult to injury with Trumpworld,  which has recently clarified what some of us have known for a while. Zelensky’s term in office has expired, he is no longer legitimate, he is clearly terrified of an election because he will lose, all opposition in the country has been silenced, at least one American journalist has been murdered in detention, Christianity is under siege and the war has been a front for possibly the biggest money laundering operation in history. Even Zelensky admits $100 Billion has gone ‘missing’. So, with Zelensky on the ropes he and Cyril will have plenty to commiserate about but not sure where they go from there.

Well maybe I’m wrong; there is Europe after all, and the EU have sent the South African president a message of support in his time of need with the nasty Americans being so beastly to him. This would have doubtless cheered him, but the Europeans are not far from being in the same boat as Zelensky.

After years of bravado and beating of war drums in the call to arms against Russia they have just got the collective fright of their lives with the Trump team telling them to get stuck in and go forth without American military might and dollar billions they have taken for granted for the last 50 years. This has caused outrage and more, (one German MP burst into tears at the Munich conference – bring out the smallest available violin!), as they look at themselves and realise they have gutted their militaries and are almost defenceless against an aggressive Putin.

Which is why Trump, quite understandably, has chosen to ignore this constellation of once great countries, and end the tragedy in Ukraine without them. Rubbing salt in the wounds, US Vice President Vance, told them to their face, Europeans have more to fear from themselves by oppressive ‘liberal-fascist’ laws destroying free speech than they do from the Russians.

And there have been some hilarious put-downs. Asked about any possibility of Prince Harry being deported for allegedly lying about drug-taking on his US Visa application Trump showed compassion: ‘No,’ he said, ‘that guy’s got enough problems with his wife … she’s terrible!’.

When asked about the floundering British Prime Minister Keir Starmer coming to Washington and what they would be discussing, Trump was unable to hide his contempt; ‘I don’t know,’ he replied, ‘ask him, he asked to come here, I didn’t’.

It remains to be seen if Sir Keir brings his Foreign Secretary along; on top of previous anti-Trump insults by Starmer, David Lammy showed exceptional emotional intelligence in previously calling Trump a ‘racist KKK and Nazi sympathiser’ a ‘tyrant and a women-hating neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath’.

If Lammy does have the gall to trot along with his Prime Minister to toady in the Oval Office,  maybe President Trump will empathise because the mouthy Foreign Secretary has made mistakes in the past – and we are human after all, aren’t we?

When asked on a quiz show what Hitler’s first name was, Lammy replied ‘Heil’.  Achtung!  Nobody ever asserted that you need a Musk-level IQ to assume the office of British Foreign Secretary!