A WIN FOR PLUTOCRACY, PURITAN PRINCIPLES

ON Sunday, Donald Trump won Arizona, the last of the seven 6swing states' at the US presidential election.

- C P SURENDRAN

Trump and a bunch of outsiders-Elon Musk, Robert Francis Kennedy Jr, Vivek Ramaswamy and Tulsi Gabbard-have all but hijacked Washington DC. RFK Jr and Gabbard were Democrats till recently. But they were outcasts because they were not beholden to known vested interests. How did a seemingly loony side win over good, normal people like Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama? The great American swing from radical liberalism to radical conservatism spans the political and cultural spectrum. What explains this polar shift in an electorate's preference? Why prefer a bunch of incorrect people when the 'normal' is available? It cannot have been easy for the voters. For example, free speech, the essence of the First Amendment to the US Constitution, is a demand by the conservatives, not liberals. Who is the J oker? Who the Batman? Trump ran a 'deficit' theme campaign. America was great once; recently it has fallen back. Trump is the saviour. He made a series of speeches with an eye on inner Americans looking for hope and order, and financial security Often he sounded like a cartoon, but a genuine one. He seemed determined to redeem himself: 6I will defend every one of you., In contrast, Kamala Harris looked like she had no personality at all. Trump's campaign speeches referred to his presidential intentions in January 2025 when he would inaugurate office. He said he would promote free speech, deregulate entrepreneurial controls, massively downsize government spending, investigate political and media collusion by government officials, mass deportation of illegal immigrants, rebuild American cities, check inflation, free