By Ramesh Kandula
Looking at the millions of protestors marching across the United States on the eve of presidential inauguration, one can see that Donald Trump cannot hope for a honeymoon period that the newly inducted presidents of USA usually enjoy.
The hundreds of thousands of women and various groups of liberal persuasion hitting the streets on the very first day of the new presidency is apparently amid fears against the Trump’s reported misogynistic views against women, minorities and Muslims.
Many have compared US President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sharing similar characteristics that appealed to the listless and angry middle class, spiralling them into a position of power the way no pollster could predict.
However, Modi, despite his fair share of bitter critics, was received with great hope and celebration as Prime Minister in India, unlike Trump, who seems to have left a large section of American population battling in vain to come to terms with the new reality.
But it fails to make good sense that people should come on to the streets to protest a presidency that is yet to make a beginning.
Trump may not inspire confidence for many, but still he made it to the top position in a national election.
What do the street protests across the United States hope to achieve a day after the inauguration is unclear. Obviously, Trump is not going to step down because a few million marchers staged protests. There is no way that Hillary Clinton or somebody else in Republican Party can replace him – at least not in the immediate future.
But by denying him his right to function as President from the very first day, these protestors are unwittingly generating silent support to Trump. The new President needs to be given time to make his mistakes, before he can be judged for his actions.
But by still harping on his past indiscretions, the dissenters are coming in the way of a democratically elected President to make a difference – for good or bad. This turn of events will further convince the Middle America that voted with so much conviction for Trump that an ‘outsider’ like the new President was not being allowed to sit in the Oval Office, as they had always suspected.
Trump may prove to be a damp squib sooner than later. But not if he is not given a chance.
