A new day in America

With a loud resounding voice, the American people have clearly spoken, electing Donald J. Trump as the 47th president of the United States.

The former president’s victory was so astounding that it was described as a “political comeback for the ages” by Australian journalist Sharri Markson, while vice president-elect JD Vance called it “the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America.”

While there was some apprehension, many couldn’t agree more, saying that Trump’s electoral triumph was also a slap on mainstream media that some say have been obviously partisan in their reportage, with certain journalists and talk show hosts perceived as having a personal dislike for the former president. On the other hand, the support of Elon Musk and the use of his resources like X (formerly Twitter) tilted the balance in favor of the former president because “he provided an alternative platform that allowed voters to monitor the campaign activities of both presidential candidates,” a political observer told me.

A lot of people admitted to me that instead of watching the news from US media outlets, they chose to monitor the election results from other networks like Al Jazeera which they found to be more objective in its coverage and presentation, and quicker in giving updates.

The outcome was also a repudiation of sorts for the pre-election polls and surveys claiming that the race was going to be very tight, with many predicting “razor-thin margins” in favor of Vice President Harris and a “near dead heat” or “very close” in the swing states.

However, even as the final vote tally has yet to be known as of this writing, there’s no question that Donald Trump has decisively won in a contest that can also be described as momentous for the GOP because they won the majority in the Senate and most likely Congress, too. This is also the first time that a Republican candidate has won both the popular and the electoral college votes since 2004, when George W. Bush won against John Kerry. The only other instance in recent history of a Republican winning both the popular and electoral college votes was when George H.W. Bush Sr. defeated Michael Dukakis in 1988.

The election of former president Donald Trump can be considered historic as well because he is only the second president in US history to make a successful comeback for a non-consecutive second term – the first one being president Grover Cleveland (a Democrat) who lost his reelection bid to Benjamin Harrison in 1888. Four years later, Cleveland staged a successful comeback in the 1892 presidential election, winning in his rematch against Harrison who failed in his bid for reelection.

Even before the Nov. 5 presidential election, many of my friends in Philippine media have been asking if US economic and foreign policies will change in case of a win by former president Trump. While the economic policy of president-elect Trump may seem isolationist because of his pronouncements that he will bring American businesses back to the United States, especially those that are already or are leaving China, US investors would want to be present in the ASEAN region because it is a growing market, and there are products that the Philippines can supply to the United States. I am also confident that our economic managers will be able to work out deals that will be mutually beneficial for both countries. After all, business is always a two-way street.

In terms of defense and security, let’s not forget that during the visit to Manila of then secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2019, he reiterated the message from president Trump that as far as the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty is concerned: “We have your back.”

The defense establishment in the US is clear about the important role the Philippines plays in helping ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, where trillions of dollars in maritime trade pass through annually. Certainly, no nation would want to see one country taking control of that vital global artery, and many of our ASEAN neighbors agree that the presence of the United States in Asia Pacific is important.

Let’s not forget, the Trump administration’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy recognized the strategic significance of the Philippines, with no less than president Trump himself remarking that it was important for the US to remain allied with the Philippines, which he described as the most valuable prime piece of real estate because of its geographic location.

We were pleased President Bongbong Marcos’ post on X was one of the first – the seventh head of state, to be exact – to congratulate president Trump on winning the US presidential election. The Trump campaign took note of it, and sent word they were thankful to President Marcos for his message.

I consider it fortunate as well that I have been here in Washington as Philippine Ambassador to the United States since 2017 during the first presidency of Donald J. Trump, giving me the opportunity to interact and network with friends and officials who worked with the president-elect at the White House. In fact, I met with them the other week and was told a number of them will likely join again the incoming administration of president Trump.

No doubt the 2024 election results will usher in a new day for America. But as I have said on many occasions, I am confident that our friendship with the United States will remain strong because of our shared values and the enduring people-to-people ties that have always been the bedrock of our relationship.

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