America's rollercoaster days

“The electoral system is a big disaster for democracy,” Mr Trump tweeted in 2012 after Republican Mitt Romney lost to Democrat Barack Obama. In 2016 Ms Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost the Presidential election – and Trump didn’t call it a disaster. During his vitriolic campaign Mr Trump shouted himself hoarse that the elections were rigged. Now that he’s the winner he feels it was free and fair. A week before election day, the Republican Hindu Coalition, a group that started in 2015, mailed personal letters to everyone with a Hindu sounding name. Their website proclaimed, “Trump supports PM Modi, Hindus & India.” And promised: “Economy will grow 4-5 percent every year for the next 10 years with 25m new jobs.” Another promised some more: “Trump will decrease taxes drastically – by as much as 50 percent. Hillary will raise taxes by over 50 percent.” Random allegations were thrown in for good measure: “Substantial funding for Hillary’s campaign has come from radical Islamic terrorist groups.”

The strategy seems to have worked.  Jay Mohan, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, who migrated from Attingal in Thiruvanathapuram, gives a mature analysis of reasons for Ms Clinton’s defeat.“The email scandal cast a shadow of suspicion on Ms. Clinton. Deleting 31,000 emails from her private server accentuated her trust deficit - and the FBI Director’s last-minute manoeuvre made sure the stigma stuck. When Mr Bernie Sanders lost the Democratic primaries, the Republicans attributed it to an intra-party coup by the Clinton campaign. The anger of Mr Sanders’ supporters in some of the blue wall states could well have turned in favour of Mr Trump.” Jay Mohan adds, “The thought of the world’s most powerful country being led by a woman was unpalatable to a large section of the white population. They had endured a liberal black President for eight years. They weren’t going to put up with another liberal, certainly not a woman! In the final analysis, the straight speaking off-the-cuff rhetoric of the businessman was more appealing than the smooth talk of the politician. Trump assured the working class American of job-security. That was exactly what they wanted to hear. His frontal attack on Muslims entering the US echoed the fears of the common man. And most of all, people liked his guts.”

“What I like most of all is his personality,” says Brajendra Bhujabal, a resident of the San Francisco Bay area, who voted for Trump. “He is bold, fearless, confident, and clueless about politics. He has great leadership skills and he is a smart negotiator. When he trounced all the other Republican candidates in the primaries I knew he was going to be our President.” Mr Bhuj had watched ‘The Apprentice’ for years and marvelled at Mr Trump’s showmanship. He doesn’t believe that Mr Trump will carry out his dire threats. “No President can do exactly as he pleases,” he points out. “A President is always surrounded by scores of intelligent people. They will keep him on course. And who knows, Mr Trump may actually work wonders for America.” Mr Bhuj adds with a laugh that his wife, Vaishali, voted for Ms Hillary Clinton.

Sanjay Kumar MV, a computer professional says, “I never did like Trump, but he does a have redeeming factor – that he is a successful businessman. The stock market has gone up after his victory. Perhaps the real estate market will pick up too.” Sanjay has been living in the US for a decade but is still awaiting his green card. He worked in Virginia and California before moving to Ohio. An amateur real estate investor, Sanjay feels property prices will go up if more Indians get their green cards. With uncertainty looming over their heads many NRIs are reluctant to buy houses in the US - and they are the ones who can afford to buy.

New York-based Mrinalini Nair posted on her FB page a message to her infant son: “Dear Zaydan, a month before your second birthday, a hateful man tricked America into believing that he was a better candidate for President than a lady who had more experience, more class and more dedication than he's ever known in his entire life. That day mommy and daddy were very sad. They felt their country had let them down by electing this man, who bullied and spewed hate.” Another FB post by Dhanya Elias of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, echoes the same sentiment: “It feels surreal and impossible to wake up to a Trump presidency.

But it's here and it's right now staring at me. Apart from a deep seated disappointment, the only other emotion rampant in my system is the overwhelming urge to protect my little son - from being called out for the colour of his skin, where the world he grows up teaches him very early on that he is different and needs to stand apart and stand down.” Shervin Pishevar, Iranian American entrepreneur, angel investor and cofounder of Hyperloop, tweeted on election night that he proposed to fund "a legitimate campaign for California to become its own nation."

Within hours, other tech leaders had offered their support. The immigration websites of Canada, New Zealand and Australia were choked with visitors in the days following the Trump victory. Lady Gaga demonstrated outside Trump Tower in New York along with thousands of others. Around the country in over 25 cities there were protests and demonstrations against Mr Trump. In Los Angeles his effigy was burnt. In Oakland, California, protesters clashed with the police. The overriding emotion in America today is anxiety. In a statement issued on November 9, the University of California made an effort to reassure all stakeholders with the words, “In light of yesterday's election results, we know there is understandable consternation and uncertainty among members of the University of California community. The University of California is proud of being a diverse and welcoming place for students, faculty, and staff with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Diversity is central to our mission. We remain absolutely committed to supporting all members of our community and adhering to UC’s Principles Against Intolerance.”

Apple CEO, Tim Cook, wrote a letter to the employees after the election results were announced. While he did not mention the name of the new President, he concluded his message with words that were pregnant with meaning, “Our company is open to all, and we celebrate the diversity of our team here in the United States and around the world - regardless of what they look like, where they come from, how they worship or who they love. I've always looked at Apple as one big family and I encourage you to reach out to your coworkers if they are feeling anxious.”