By Haider Abbas
The US president Donald Trump who is saddled with every power until January 20, 2021, before what comes as the ‘inauguration-day’, is shown as to have lost to Joseph Biden, but Trump had much earlier made it clear that he would not relinquish power, if he loses, and the political situation, is therefore, as quite speculated, is soon to turn into for the ‘incoming turmoil’.
Trump has already fired defense-secretary Mark Esper on November 10,2020 shortly after as he had sent a classified-memo to White House on Afghanistan, in which he had expressed ‘concerns’ towards the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, reveals, DailyMail.Co.UK 1 on November 14, 2020. Esper was certainly toeing the line of the incumbent Biden, which shows that Biden isn’t interested into ‘withdrawal’ whereas Trump had announced that US troops would be back by Christmas. Trump is into conflict with his own ‘deep-state’ and it won’t be a surprise if Trump next ‘fireline’ may be CIA director, FBI chief or the Pentagon command. The tussle throws ‘wide-open’ that US establishment is deeply in clash with Trump, despite Trump having got more than 70 million votes.
The Russian intelligence chief alarm that post-US elections there might be ‘a disorder’ even leading to a destabilised US on October 8, 2020, according to TASS 2 may be coming true as Trump has given a call of Million Make America Great Again (MAGA) March on November 15, 2020, tells TheGuardian 3 and tens of thousands of Trump supporters have started to gather in Washington DC streets who are ready to back Trump ‘conspiracy and fraud’ allegations of bungling in ‘mail-to-voting’ which Trump had always been against. There has been many evidences that even those who were ‘dead’ have cast their votes! Informs BusinessToday.In 4 on November 5, 2020. Trump plans to challenge the outcome before the Supreme Court of US. He has already provided the stimulus by himself jumping between the protestors, reported ABC.Net.AU on November 15, 2020 5 as pro-Trump demonstrators and counterdemonstrators are reported to have clashed and stabbing incidences have also occurred.
The chaos is brewing in US polity. Immediately after Esper was fired, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley on November 12, 2020 as per Edition.CNN.Com 6 made it clear his dedication for ‘constitution’ unlike it was for any dictator, tyrant, king or a queen and it is well known that Milley had not endorsed Trump’s plan to fully withdraw from Afghanistan as Milley wanted a ‘conditions-based’ withdrawal, reported NYTimes on October 8, 2020 7 . Milley stand is of course a utopia as a condition ‘unless peace prevails’ is certainly nowhere to be near as today the whole world is heading for a war unlike peace.
What is very ironic is that in the wake of coming scenario Biden had called for a rescue from army, and surprisingly, not from SC, disclosed In.Reuters on June 11, 2020 8, and no doubt, the latest protest-call by Trump is actually a message to army. As after all, secretary of state Mike Pompeo has already made it clear that US is bracing for the second term of Trump, highlighted TheIndianExpress on November 11, 2020 9 when Pompeo had said that there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration, ‘once every “legal” vote was counted. It would lead to a “second Trump administration”. I am very confident that we will have a good transition, that we will make sure that whoever is in office on noon on January 20th has all the tools readily available…’ If Milley, is therefore to sing to the tune of Biden, Trump has shown him by thronging his protestors on the streets!
Trump, by virtue of his call, has put to rest all the speculations that Trump was to be arrested to forsake the White House, despite his son-in-law Jared Kushner and wife Melania Trump advising him otherwise, and his supporters have started to surround on the steps of SC while slogans like ‘stop-the-steal’ , ‘count-every-vote’ and ‘four-more-years’ are ranting the air. Other cities like Florida and Georgia have joined the chorus while protestors have been advised to walk peacefully towards the SC, stated TOI on November 15, 2020 10. No wonder, history might become witness, that Trump supporters may trample inside SC, if it goes on to order against Trump, as it is a world stated fact, that in the run-up to US polls, since, at least one year, Trump supporters had been accumulating weapons (not for display) to use if Trump is made to loose, which ironically, the US establishment is all hell bent upon!
If Trump is to succumb to the results, what would that mean? Despite Simpson cartoon foretelling Ivanka Trump to be US president in 2028, as I had referred in an article in TheScribe.In on November 10, 2020 11? It would therefore mean that his support will fizzle out, as despite the Corona-Virus pandemic, Trump supporters have come out in such vast numbers and have defied the proposed US reshut-down, in the wake of Corona Virus new wave, as Trump had already debunked the Corona-Virus theory and had called US establishment to have fudged all the deaths in US under the Covid-19 deaths category. How is thus US heading for? If Trump supporters are to throng the SC, and we may hear Trump firing CIA and FBI chiefs and thereafter army not complying, all Trump is to do is a tweet and US streets are likely to spill-out, most arguably towards a civil-war, as the conflagration in the wake George Floyd death, in June 2020 last, has not been that far! However, Trump is a clear victor as Democrat supporters preferred to vote from home for Biden, while Republicans under Trump came out unmasked to vote, despite Corona-Virus, and it can be imagined that millions are just waiting for the final-call from Trump. No wonder, the tumult in US is just a tweet away from Trump, and for worse, twitter even cannot suspend his account, as after all its US president’s account!
It is very likely that more drama is all set to unfold in US, and thus accordingly, Russia and China have not as yet congratulated Biden. India has forwarded the greetings and Russia and Pakistan had started with their joint-military drills, on November 5, 2020 splashed TOI 12 , even as votes were being counted in the US elections, and China too slapped a ban on Indians travelling to China on November 6, 2020 13 notified Arise.Tv. The timings speak for themselves, as China and Pakistan are gearing-up for a war with India while India and US have signed BECA, and ironically Mark Esper who signed it from US side has been sent packing..
The writer is a former State Information Commissioner, India. He is a media analyst and writes on international politics.
References:
2-https://tass.com/world/1210111
3-https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/15/million-maga-march-trump-supporters
5-https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-15/donald-trump-visits-million-maga-march-in-washington/12884914
6-https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/12/politics/mark-milley-pentagon-turmoil/index.html
7-https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/12/world/asia/trump-milley-afghanistan.html
13-https://www.arise.tv/china-slaps-travel-ban-on-india-amid-rising-covid-19-cases/