Democracy is alive and kicking in the US, even where the most powerful are concerned. The latest kick is that a New York appeals court has halved the imposition of a billion dollar fine on the Trump organisation, a penalty which was imposed by the trial court in a case involving charges of financial fraud by the Trump organisation.
Characteristically for President Trump, he has characterised the judgement ordering him to pay $500 million as a win, and has said the Trump organisation will appeal the verdict and argue for why it should pay a lower amount. The US has a robust court system and he may get his wish or witness the scrapping of the appeals court verdict and reinstatement of the original fine.
The Trump organisation will of course appeal, perhaps even up to the US Supreme Court, looking at the depth of its pockets. An issue for the US President could be questions as to why he is concerned about the Trump organisation, as he has relinquished formal ties with that entity on assuming office on January 20. Trump will of course brush such criticism aside, as he has done with similar barbs on numerous occasions.
Within just a few months of his second term in the White House, President Trump has affected what used to be called the global order in a way that few of his predecessors have. Somehow, for reasons which appear more personal than any other consideration, India now appears to be a favourite target of Trump. In his 2024 victory over Biden, several million votes were secured by him from the Indian American, African American and Latin American ethnic component of the US electorate.
Targeting India with super high tariffs, trying to rid the Smithsonian of exhibits that show the cruelty of the slave trade and their treatment, and trying to convert Latin American countries with a heritage stretching back millennia as a dumping bag for deporting illegal immigrants into the US have done the opposite of serving him politically. Even within the population of the US that is of European ancestry, the overwhelming majority are moderate and accept a multicultural society rather than join those seeking a monocultural future for the US. Given the contribution that those of ethnicities different from the European are making to the US economy, it is clear that such a monochrome vision would be self-defeating.
Even once insular Japan is changing, with women leading the charge. More and more Japanese women are marrying outside their own stock, including to a large number of Indians. As are citizens of the US, including US Vice-President J.D. Vance, an inspired choice for the job. At a time when preparing for what is to come is of paramount importance, entering back into the past in terms of viewing reality is helpful neither to him nor to the country.
President Trump is the President of the United States of America. At a time of war, soldiers learn not to simply accept but to trust their mates to look after their back. The US under Donald Trump must not just be accepted as a necessary partner but trusted. It is not a secret that such a trust is fast eroding, not just in India but among traditional US allies in other parts of the world as well. Regain the same level of trust, President Trump as you had with them on assumption of the most powerful position in the world the second time around.
