LONG NOTE:

I’m not sure if I’m going to turn this idea into a full issue of A6, but I feel confident about the following thesis:

The narrative of “America deserves Trump, the world does not” is a fundamentally flawed argument that betrays ignorance of the world beyond DC.

It is a fantastic headline that captures attention and conveys a clear idea. But it’s not accurate.

I lived in Asia for a decade, and, if he had been a citizen of a given country, he would have won most of the elections in that part of the world. When I would mention I am American, most strangers inevitably followed with “Trump,” but often would wax poetic about the man.

Rodrigo Duterte was essentially Trump, and he always had a high approval rating despite literal extrajudicial killings. Bolsanaro is another example. Millie in Argentina, Imran Khan in Pakistan. The list goes on.

One of the strangest moments of cognitive dissonance for me was when the 2019 Hong Kong protest movement began to feature Trump flags. He was a symbol of rebellion against Beijing. That loyalty stuck, and let’s just say the HK internet is not having a funeral.

The idea that the world meets every American abroad with sympathy or fear is wildly inaccurate. This does not dismiss the election or argue that “we are just like everyone else.” Rather, it is to push back on one specific idea: that the world is looking at America in horror. It’s really not, even if that is an uncomfortable truth.

To be clear, I voted for Harris. I think she ran an outstanding campaign and was an exceptional candidate. She just ran into the fact that large portions of America will not vote for a woman—it’s really that simple.