The controversial former US President, Donald Trump, has won the all important New Hampshire primary. Earlier, he had won in Iowa. Together, these wins suggest that he is most likely to be the Republican Party’s nominee against President Joe Biden of the Democratic Party later this year. This is despite all the charges of wrongdoing, convictions and general bad behaviour that flout currently acceptable social and political norms.

The American system requires all contenders to the top job to compete against others in their own parties. Trump had three challengers: Ron de Santis, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy. Now he has just one, Haley. It’s highly unlikely that the Republican Party will choose her, an Indian-American, over Trump. Trump was hugely disruptive as president and has been extremely combative as ex-president. But politically he seems to be doing all right. This should make everyone think about liking or disliking someone as a person and preferring his or her politics. The two are very different as so many democratic societies have discovered over the last 200 years. Trump’s politics is preferred by many Americans because they hold certain beliefs about how America should be. These people don’t want social change. They believe American generosity has cost them their jobs. Above all, they think their beliefs are valid merely because it’s they who hold it. This is the classic definition of conservatism. As a well known psychologist once said, “Any message that clashes with your prior beliefs… is overwhelmingly likely to fall on deaf ears”. This is true of all ‘liberals’ as well, who are the mirror images of conservatives.

Politicians like Trump appeal hugely to the conservatives. They are practitioners of the art of mass politics where they set themselves up as champions of the unrepresented. Their faults and weaknesses then turn into virtues, and the punishment for illegal and unacceptable acts is perceived as malevolent persecution by their supporters. This happens everywhere. The trick is to turn this sentiment of sympathy and collective victimhood into votes. Trump seems to be doing just that.

The big mistake that Left liberals have made in all democratic countries is that, after dominating thought for more than half a century, they have forgotten that conservative people also vote. In America the extraordinary rise of Wokism has made even liberals uneasy. Next November they may not vote for Trump, and even stay away on voting day. This could help Trump, especially as concerns over Biden’s fitness could work against him. The prospect of another Trump presidency, provided he is not disqualified on account of the charges against him, could lead to a realignment of agendas on the global stage. India’s ties with the US could further improve, not least because of the rapport between Trump and Prime Minister Modi and likelihood of improved US ties with Russia. The worry though is over his views on movement of skilled people and work visas.

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