LettersTrump’s war on China will not ‘make America great again’

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US President Donald Trump is seen behind US flags as he speaks to supporters at a “Great American Comeback” event in Mosinee, Wisconsin, on September 17. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:50am, 10 Oct 2020Updated: 2:50am, 10 Oct 2020

Recently, I watched the 11th episode of Thai television drama Girl From Nowhere. In that episode, the main character Nanno went to an all-girls school which ranked students in order of beauty and gave many privileges to those with the most beautiful faces. Nanno tells her jealous classmate Ying, “if you can’t become prettier, try to make your foes ugly.” Ying then disfigures her peers to reclaim her privilege, making her campus messy.

This scene recalls the approaching US presidential election. President Donald Trump dreams of making America great again and spending another term in the White House. However, reality has been brutal to him. He has failed to curb the Covid-19 pandemic and tried to discredit the Black Lives Matter campaign, which hurt his already-poor poll numbers.

Instead of self-reflection, though, he and his yes-men such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have stubbornly adopted increasingly radical policies to please his conservative supporters, targeting a series of ever-uglier “foes”. At home, he has ignored the demands of environmentalists and withdrew the US from the Paris climate accord while ordering his armed forces to crack down on protests.

Outside the US, he has targeted the South China Sea, Chinese technological firms such as TikTok, Hong Kong’s financial system and supposedly “disobedient” countries like Venezuela and Iran. Most US presidents may have had an imperialist mindset, but none has acted like Trump, who opts for direct confrontation to destroy his imaginary enemies to maintain the country’s supremacy.

It is hard to tell whether his strategy has worked, or imagine the future if a stubborn, arrogant man like Trump wins a second term. But his dream will surely fail. He will leave a deeply divided society where everyone suffers greater hatred and violation than they do now. Our country’s talents will soon overtake the US if Trump does not support investment in research but uses hideous tactics instead to destroy our firms.

I hope US politicians understand that only true effort, not nasty tricks, can keep the US great. Also, with just over three weeks until the election in November, I urge our American friends to opt for the way towards co-prosperity rather than confrontation.