A decisive election

What happens in the U.S. on November 6 could mark the beginning of a turning point for that country

A decisive election
Donald Trump - Photo: Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS
English 04/11/2018 10:01 Mexico City Newspaper Leader Actualizada 10:07
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What happens in the U.S. on November 6 could mark the beginning of a turning point for that country. The importance of those elections lies in the fact that it will imply, as it is usual in mid-term elections, a referendum about Donald Trump, two years after taking office.

A hypothesis reinforced by the increasing participation numbers expected for these elections, where the intervention of Latin voters could be key if as expected, almost 30% of this sector votes. It would be a historic event.

With the new addition of the U.S. House of Representatives and part of the Senate, decided on the ballots, and the number of Governors each party obtains, out of the 36 states at stake, we will be able to discern the level of support Trump has, and the support or rejection he sparks among citizens, for example, his nationalist policies, aggressive and protectionist economic policies, and retrogressive, xenophobe and discriminatory social policies; the election will also define the power percentage of Democrats and Republicans, in the face on the 2020 election.

Therefore, it will also be an evaluation of the strong anti-migrant discourse emphasized by Trump and the way he was cleverly managed, in his favor, the Central American migrants crisis, where he has applied his famous chauvinist rhetoric and set up a military show to stop the “invasion” and to “defend” the border with Mexico.

We're talking about the fact that these elections will be a referendum about his two years in office and a preamble of what could be the vote intention in two years when Trump's reelection will be at stake.

Oddly enough, in the current U.S. context, with a thriving economy and with low numbers of unemployment, Republicans might have have everything they need to win, if we also consider his most recent and relevant victories: a new commercial agreement for North America (T-MEC), two young and conservative judges in the Supreme Court, a tax-cut law, and a tax reform.

Nevertheless, according to analysts, all that wouldn't be enough for a Republican victory in the ballots, because it has been overshadowed by Trump and his electoral strategy of spreading fear and lie during his speeches, as he did during his 2016 campaign, using two of his favorite issues: attacking the media and demonizing the migrants.

Without a doubt, this election's result will change the course of U.S. history. Strengthening Trump or tying his hands with a strengthened opposition, as it is expected, is what is at stake.


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