TENSION BETWEEN the president and the press is almost traditional in the US. It is primarily because the press runs what the president does not want to be published. In the case of President Trump, this has come out far more than it has previously. It is partly because Trump responds to things said on television or published in print, and he responds in a vigorous way. This escalates tension.
It is, however, not right to say that the media is totally biased against Trump. Even in moderated debates, Trump was saying things and the media was covering it. Things are moving faster in this administration than they normally do. Subsequently, the relations also deteriorate faster than they usually do. However, there are four more years to go in his term. There are going to be some ups and downs.
While there is a view that Trump is voicing the concerns of the average American, Americans are completely divided about his policies. People who support Trump seem to be moving closer to him, and people who are opposed to him see his administration as more dangerous than they thought it would be. I am 85 and I have watched protests all my adult life. I have never seen the country as divided as it is now. We have a sizeable segment of the country applauding what Trump does and we have an equal number or more opposing, and being fearful of, what he does. While this country has always had a Democratic or Republican opposition, they have never even remotely been as extreme as they are today. So you could expect any sort of reaction, like the secession movement in California.
Regarding the move to restrict migration by changing the rules on visas like the H-1B, we don’t know how it is going to play out. If there isn’t some relaxation of the proposed changes, it will undoubtedly affect workers in IT and other technical jobs in the US.
The move to build a wall on the Mexican border to keep out illegal immigrants is another issue on which the entire country is divided. Many people applaud it, but many do not. I think it will be a mistake. We are already seeing a rockier relationship with Mexico. This will escalate. We don’t know about Trump’s plans. A 20 per cent border fee or a general increase in tariffs? The move will exacerbate the already troubled relations with Mexico and we will go back to the kind of ties we had before World War I.
As far as Trump’s foreign policy is concerned, we need to wait and see. We need to see the US policy towards NATO under Trump. He has said he is 100 per cent in support of NATO, but in the past he had said NATO was obsolete. I think that is the eye of the whole European relations and not just US-Russia relations. The big question is whether Trump can strengthen US-Russia ties without weakening our relationship with western Europe.
Coming to China, like with many things Trump, we can’t be sure how his policy will play out. I feel ties with China are likely to get very, very rocky. And if that happens, the fallout would be serious and severe. In the Middle East, the move to shift our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem is certain to increase tensions. There is concern even in Israel about doing so quickly.
Back home, the challenge, especially to the Democrats, remains. Barack Obama or Bernie Sanders is unlikely to be a rallying point for them. Over time, a new leader is likely to emerge. You never had this sort of tension and polarisation in the US. No one can be too confident about how this will play out. It is too early to say whether this will revitalise the Democrats and offset Trump’s support.
Roberts was managing editor, The New York Times
AS TOLD TO MATHEW T. GEORGE
