What else is new?

Could you believe it? For nearly 36 hours last week, I was a Trump supporter. Then, I was not. It isn’t that difficult a story to understand or to accept. In the conclusion of my last week’s column, I wrote that if President Biden were forced out of the race, I would support Trump. So, I did.

Many of my regular readers would find it hard to comprehend. I was overly critical of President Trump when he ran for the first time. When he became the president, I kept his policies under a microscope for constant scrutiny. I could not restrain my criticism after his departure, primarily due to January 6. Between the election and J6, it was my view that if he accepted the results, he could run again in 2024. Time flies, you see. But by then, he was beyond reason.

So, what changed now? You will have to understand my view of him before 2015. If anyone teaches you an important life lesson, you should treat them as your teacher. By the time I stumbled upon the first season of The Apprentice, I was struggling in my career as a TV journalist. Even if I turned water into wine on air, office politics would kill me. People who professed to be my friends would often take time in my absence and sometimes even in my presence to attack my work and person. Back then, no senior ever came to help you understand what needed to be done if you were so visibly struggling. Then I started watching this series. At the end of each episode, Trump offers you a masterclass on the best ways to fight for yourself in a boardroom. That was enough for me to learn how to work a room, watch your back and fight for what you think is right. After that, I read all his books and started following him on Twitter. I missed the whole birther controversy and was happy to see him run. His campaign’s bitter and snide nature forced me to the other side. Even then, I believe that the US media is deranged and was never fair to the man or you.

Another example of this unfairness? JD Vance. This is another career I have been following for a long time. When his book came out, as a compulsive reader, I went through it from cover to cover. Here, I found a heartwarming story of a young fellow traveller negotiating through the hardships of life. Don’t allow media coverage to colour your image of this man. Read his Hillbilly Elegy. Politicians say what suits them at the time, but he is no racist. In fact, he possesses the nuanced, rational mind you need in a leader. When he was nominated for veep, I was asked to comment on the fact that he was married to a lady of Indian origin. Again, these people do not get me. My inquisitor thought that I would criticise her because of her origin. I don’t believe it is my fault they cannot appreciate a person’s true virtues or character. The Indian diaspora is now an inextricable part of the American experience. Unless you are prejudiced to the hilt, you will never dare lump them together into a category. That is how racism is born. And we South Asians often forget that the world sees us as of the same racial stock.

Individuality matters, and so does character. Anybody who has read JD’s memoirs and followed the media coverage of the couple’s progress would tell you what a tremendous and redeeming influence Usha Vance has been in her husband’s life. And that is in addition to her brilliant career and uncountable gifts. How petty would I have to be to trivialise her lifelong sacrifices and contributions just based on her parents’ original domicile? This region should thank her for being such a great ambassador for all of us.

Trump chose Vance not due to overconfidence or to make a statement on race relations as the media would have you believe. Remember, he had just been shot. And at the time, he had no running mate. Had he succumbed to the attack, there was a real chance that someone like Nikki Haley would have hijacked his movement because she was the last one out of the primaries. He needed someone loyal. Trump doesn’t trust anyone more than his kids. Ivanka, the most likely choice for a running mate, had already very publicly ruled herself out. It was Don Junior’s advocacy and Trump’s own chemistry with Vance that was the deciding factor.

Doesn’t it sound like an excellent conspiracy movie plot, though? A prolonged war in Gaza and America’s inability to effect a meaningful change seals the fate of Democrats in the election. An assassin’s bullet takes care of Trump. And the darling of the crazy media, the establishment, Netanyahu and Modi, Nikki Haley, rides the post-Trump assassination sympathy wave to the Oval?

When President Biden quit the race, two things were quite discernable. The victory lap of pro-Modi trolls on social media. And Netanyahu on the prowl. Make whatever you will of this.

One reason I decided to root for Trump was the disgraceful show put up by the Democrats and the US media. Of them all, Obama’s betrayal was the most poignant. For eight years, Biden stood firmly behind Obama. And in less than four years, when going got tough, the former president threw his best buddy under the bus.

But the more significant issue, entirely visible, was the target. It wasn’t Biden. It was VP Harris. If Biden won and then decided to quit after assuming power, she could potentially be in power for twelve years. If he lost, she could run again in 2028. The strongmen of India and Israel are not great fans of strong women with convictions of their own. So she was the target and still is. If she loses now, the way will be cleared for their darlings in 2028.

What brought me back was President Biden’s heroic decision of endorsing her immediately after his announcement. The Democratic base rallied around her at lightning speed. This, when coupled with two more factors, did the trick.

I have told you I do not dislike Trump or Vance. But it is not about them. With them comes an army of Millers and Bannons who love to frighten the most vulnerable segments of society. That is unacceptable.

Also, it all happened during my on-record pivot to the left. I have told you already that until mankind understands the full impact of automation and AI-related job displacement, a momentary turn to the left is our best bet. This includes withstanding the corporate pressure to cut regulations and public sector jobs. Do you think a party which runs a platform parallel to Project 2025 will have the best solutions for such conundrums?

Regardless of everything else, here is the real question. What kind of superpower are you if two junior league powers, ostensibly your allies, take your system for a ride and jeopardise the careers and safety of your leaders? Can you believe this? They haven’t even been able to uncover the shooter’s motive yet!