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The outcome of the US presidential election will have global repercussions, affecting many countries. Governments, including in the Caribbean, are beginning to weigh which candidate’s victory will better serve their interests.
The latest episode in the campaign drama saw Republican candidate Donald Trump mock the ethnic origin of Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump questioned Harris’s race, saying: “She was always Indian, she was just promoting her Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was black until she happened to be black a few years ago.”
Trump made the remarks while attending an event of the National Association of Black Journalists, where he was interviewed live by a black reporter. The remarks were clearly intended to undermine black journalists’ support for Harris.
Historically, race has been a major factor in American politics, dating back to Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which declared that all enslaved people should be free. Throughout American history, the Civil Rights Movement has fought for the rights of Black people, including the right to vote and hold public office.
Barack Obama overcame significant obstacles to be elected as the “first black president” of the United States. However, for many white Americans, the issue of black people in high office has become more prominent. Trump has exploited this “fear” of black people in political life and used it against Obama by emphasizing Obama’s black identity and ignoring his white ancestry. Now, with the growing confidence of black people in their legitimate position in all aspects of American society and their recognition of the power of the vote, Trump is using a different race card against Harris. He is trying to portray her as “Indian” instead of “black” to weaken her position among black voters.
In addition, Harris has attracted Trump’s attention because he and his political disciples successfully planned for former President Biden to withdraw from the election on the grounds of old age and frailty. Biden was 81 years old when he decided to withdraw from the election, while Trump was 78 years old at the time, only three years younger than Biden.
It is worth noting that after eliminating Biden, Trump has become the oldest presidential candidate in American history, and the issue of “too old” has disappeared from his campaign. Facing younger and more agile opponents, Trump used racial issues against Harris, questioning her black identity and emphasizing her Indian identity.
Nevertheless, with the strong support she has already received from senior Democratic leaders, she will surely become the Democratic presidential candidate in November.
Fear is also being used as a political tool by both parties and is likely to be a dominant theme in the coming weeks and days. Trump portrayed Harris as a “socialist” and claimed that she would encourage immigrants and refugees, who according to him are mostly criminals, rapists and drug dealers. Immigrants and refugees are portrayed as a serious threat to American society as a whole. He also added that immigrants are taking “black people’s jobs.” The essence of this argument is that black people mostly work in low-skilled or manual labor jobs, and immigrants and refugees are taking these jobs, causing black people to be displaced.
An underlying theme of Trump’s campaign is that America isn’t ready for a woman, especially a black woman, as president. That premise is morphing into another “fear” in the campaign.
Harris, on the other hand, is also using fear against Trump. She portrays Trump as a villain, a convicted felon, an abuser of women, a liar and a tax evader who is unworthy of being the president of the United States. Drawing on her background as a prosecutor, she claims to know Trump’s “type.”
These are inevitable circumstances in the political process. The same factors exist in global politics.
In the Caribbean, governments are watching the race, trying to determine which candidate is best for them. They see superficial differences between a woman of Indo-Jamaican descent (who could continue Obama’s policies) and Biden. However, neither Obama nor Biden has done much good for the region. While both presidents’ administrations acknowledged the fundamental challenges facing the region, the measures taken did not change their ability to overcome them. Those who had high hopes for Obama because he was “black” learned that he was the president of the United States and cared about his country, as it should be.
The same would be true if Harris were elected president. The fact that her parents are Jamaican and Indian, respectively, would not make her prioritize Jamaica (and the Caribbean) or India. She is an American, and if elected president, her focus would be on the national interests of the United States at home and abroad.
The Caribbean has also experienced the Trump presidency. Trump’s current presidential campaign does not indicate a change in his isolationist stance, nor does it indicate any interest in the Caribbean. With the exception of Guyana and Suriname, the Caribbean is not very attractive to the United States, either as a market or as a source of resources such as oil and gas. Other than limiting immigration and refugees (mainly from Haiti) and limiting the flow of illegal drugs into the region, the United States’ previous attitude towards the region is unlikely to change.
For these reasons, the Caribbean should not consider itself concerned with the US presidential contest. Who is elected president of the United States is a matter for the American electorate. Once a new administration takes office, the region must strive to gain as much attention as possible so that its concerns can be meaningfully addressed on the basis of shared values and common concerns. The race or party affiliation of the president is irrelevant.
(The author is the Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organization of American States. The views expressed are his own. For replies and previous comments, please visit: www.sirronaldsanders.com)
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