Donald Trump and the establishment

On November 8, Americans went to the polls to elect their 45th president and the following day, against most media analysis and polls, Donald Trump, the business mogul and one who has never run for public office – the quintessential Washington outsider – turned politics on its head and posted one of the most dramatic and stunning election victories in the history of presidential elections in the United States of America.

He defeated his Democratic rival Hilary Clinton who was the clear favourite and candidate of the political establishment, business community, Wall Street, the media establishment, pollsters, cultural activists, Nobel Laureates, and the global community. The world was shocked and most Clinton supporters were shocked. Some are yet to accept the results and there are protests and even riots going on in many American cities. For years, ordinary Americans had been fed up with politicians, the Washington insiders and Wall Street.

They see these institutions as corrupt and feeding on the fortunes of hard working Americans. However, since America is a country of laws, the people could only show their discontent through one means – the ballot box. This discontent was palpable in 2008 when members of the Democratic Party rejected the otherwise experienced and highly qualified Hillary Clinton for President Obama, a rookie and political neophyte.

It helped Obama that both his Republican challengers in 2008 and 2012 were establishment candidates. However, even Obama, the greatest beneficiary of American’s rebellion against the establishment, this time, misread the mood of the country and aligned himself with the establishment. They should have sensed the mood of the country when Bernie Sanders, a complete outsider, almost caused an upset in the Democratic primaries. Rather than listen, the Democratic Party helped Clinton win the party’s nomination.

It was therefore no surprise when Americans defied the media, the establishment and pollsters, which were all lining behind Clinton, to elect Trump. Trump’s election, no matter how distasteful and no matter his personal failings, represents the real feelings of Americans that had been ignored and ultimately dismissed by the media and the establishment.

Therein lies the lesson for the media and the pollsters. Rather than reporting news, the media establishment has rather chosen to determine the news; shutting up voices of a significant segment of the society and promoting minority voices as mainstream. The voices of the people have been replaced by special interests and groups who want to determine the direction of the American society.

The media and pollsters all went about predicting a clear Clinton victory even when reality points otherwise. The election has left them flummoxed and rudderless. They have been reminded that they cannot take away the voices and rights of the people. They ultimately have to go back to the ethics of their profession. For President Obama, who eschewed the programmes he was mandated to implement by Americans and went about pursuing other goals that he wasn’t mandated to and are not part of his campaign promises, it is a perfect reminder that power ultimately belongs to the people.

This election has put a lie to the often repeated claim that the US is a liberal state. The lesson is clear for politicians: there can be no substitute for the real wishes of the people. They are the masters and power emanates from them. Politicians cannot assume to know more than the people or be hijacked by special interests that are clearly detrimental to the express wishes of the people. We only wish Nigerian politicians will learn this lesson.