Learning from the Trump win

By Michael Henry Yusingco, LL.M

Baffling that this is even newsworthy. Apparently, the viral baby hippo, Moo Deng, correctly predicted Donald Trump’s win. Beating out respected academics, grizzled political pundits, and American showbiz royalty. Although, insane as it may sound, this story is actually the perfect metaphor to explain the ethos underpinning Trump’s decisive electoral victory.

At the very core of Trump’s defeat of Vice-President Kamala Harris is the profound anxiety afflicting the American electorate. This sense of dread could have been imagined fears, as some would argue, about illegal immigration, AI, the transgender advocacy, and some other “woke” agenda. Not to say that these issues are not problematic, but it is possible the trepidation surrounding them was magnified by partisan media outlets.

But the American public’s grave uneasiness is also grounded on very real concerns such as unmanaged inflation, worsening wealth inequality, housing unaffordability, to name a few. Trump grasped this acute apprehension far better than Harris and the Democrats did. Just like Moo Deng, Republicans relied on the fact that gut issues will always be the primary motivator for voters. Overthinking can be perilous in politics sometimes.

However, framing public sentiment for election purposes is not an easy task. There is a whole industry dedicated to perfecting this electoral service. But the reality is recognizing the anxiety that voters feel can be elusive even to the most scientific of methods. And worse, there is that danger of experts and strategists merely projecting their own grievances. Probably, a bitter realization many Democrats are struggling with.

Hitting it right is not the final prize, though. The other side to being victorious at the polls needs to be emphasized here. Being in government means fulfilling the promises made during the campaign. So, electoral politics is not just about recognizing and empathizing with public grievances, it is also about addressing these grievances once in public office. This is the lesson Filipino voters need to internalize with Trump’s win.

Successfully tapping into the people’s disdain for the status quo or its burning desire for change must also be utilized in formulating the correct policies and instituting the needed reforms. And the voting public plays a key role in making sure that this happens. Leaving politicians, especially dynastic politicians, to do whatever they please whilst in government always leads to catastrophic results. A list of unfulfilled promises is just one.

A few weeks ago, I shared the paper, Challenges to Democratization from the Perspective of Political Inaction: Insights into Political Disempowerment and Citizenship in the Philippines (Borja, et al, 2024) to show that the Filipino electorate is “a mass of enthusiastic but disempowered voters.” The intent here is to subtly imply that we need to do more to disrupt the domination of political dynasties of politics and governance.

Voter turnout has been consistently high for us. Many Filipinos believe that they can influence government through elections. By itself, there is nothing wrong with this mindset. But given that dynastic domination has severely minimized the power of elections to change the untenable status quo; exclusively adhering to this democratic ideal may not be enough.

Crucially, dynastic domination is further entrenched by the fact that in between elections very few Filipinos participate in overtly political activities and cause-oriented mobilizations. After voting, Filipinos revert to being merely political spectators and passive recipients of state welfare. The responsibility to hold the electoral winners accountable while in office is largely forgotten.

Thus, voters should be constantly reminded that their grievances must be addressed by the people they elected to public office. And that they must continuously communicate to these public officials the primacy of this mandate. Media and civil society must ensure the true purpose of the electoral process is not obscured by intense partisan politics. Indeed, the “us vs. them” narrative only serves the interest of dynastic politicians.

In sum, Trump’s win cannot be simply appreciated as an example of shrewd campaign strategizing. Filipino voters must go beyond this obvious fact and delve into a deeper comprehension of this decisive electoral victory. An election is fundamentally about the recognition of public grievances and the imposition of a responsibility to address these grievances. And the untenable status quo will not be changed by just leaving electoral winners to their own devices.