Andrew Sheng

Opinion | Under President Trump 2.0, US enemies will have less to fear than allies

Expect a right-wing agenda, a Ukraine deal with Russia, a restrained Israel, truce with China, and European and other allies treated again as vassals. Distant enemies will have less to fear than close allies

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Donald Trump on stage at a New Hampshire presidential primary election night watch party, in Nashua, New Hampshire, on January 23. Photo: Reuters

Andrew Sheng

Published: 7:30pm, 26 Jan 2024Updated: 8:42pm, 26 Jan 2024

Travelling in the jungles of Sabah on Borneo island last week kept me sane from the daily bombardment of crisis news from around the world. Amid the cries of gibbons in the dark, with dawn broken by bird song, the cruelties of man against man and which alpha male comes out as the next top dog were faraway worries.

Coming out of the jungle meant one could not ignore the return of Donald Trump, who has won the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries and forced contender Ron DeSantis to withdraw, with Nikki Haley his only rival in the race to be the Republican nominee at the November US presidential elections.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden is struggling in the polls, facing an escalating war in the Middle East that he cannot win (at least not in the short term). Gallup polls suggest he entered election year with a 39 per cent job approval rating, the lowest in the past four decades for a president seeking re-election. His foreign policies have been a disaster, unifying the Global South against US support of Israel’s slaughter in Gaza.

Without further aid from the United States and Europe, Ukraine faces a crushing defeat in its war with Russia – or a humbling negotiated peace. If the Houthis and Hezbollah widen the war in the Middle East, Biden would have a war-loser image, on top of his geriatric stumbles.

Biden won the last time from a record turnout against Trump. He is hoping for a repeat. But Republicans are lowering the heat on abortion rights and many young Democratic supporters are angry about Biden’s unqualified support for Israel.

We should therefore be prepared for Trump’s return as president, barring any court rulings that could stop him from running.