Is Donald Trump America’s Arab Spring or Brexit?

We all remember Brexit. It’s that referendum the government told us it will plunge the world into turmoil, starts wars, shuts industries and end humanity as we know it – if we dared to vote to leave the European Union. Because if we did then life as we know it will cease to exist. Remember? We are close to two months since we voted to leave, the skies are still blue and the sun still rises on the east.

On the other hand, the Arab Spring was a different affair. Wasn’t it? The same establishment and mainstream politicians were elated and impressed by the people of Arabia for finally having enough courage and gumption to stand up to tyrants that maligned and oppressed them. It began in November 2010 in Tunisia and quickly swept the Arab League from Tunisia to Bahrain. The wave of demonstrations and protests sped across the region carpeting it with civil unrest. In Tunisia, Egypt and Libya it resulted in regime change but to date only Tunisia moved to constitutional democratic governance. Libya and Syria are facing their nations’ worst civil war and turbulence in history and Egypt is right behind them.

When Donald J Trump decided to run for president of the United States, many laughed at the idea and didn’t pay it much attention. Yet, for over a year he pushed on and systematically defeated every opponent to secure the Republican nomination. From the start he was not a conventional candidate and some would say his style is somewhat outrageous. But, he kept on gaining support.

Trump is a phenomenon fuelled by the media and the Republican Party’s fear of him winning the nomination. This ‘self-fulling prophecy’ might look like it came out of nowhere, but like Brexit and the Arab Spring before it, the Trump phenomena is the result of bubbling disquiet in the grassroots and too much media sensationalism. The more the media and mainstream politicians berate him the stronger his appeal to activists became.

People of Europe and the US are not that different from Arabs or even Africans. Feelings and sentiments wise they are the same, the difference is in the manner they express these emotions.

From the start of the campaign, every week in almost every state, ordinary folks backed Trump in droves. The more the media berated him the stronger Jo Public backed him. Yet, the elite with their sophisticated polls, accomplished analysts and broadminded commentators did not see the link between his growing support and their criticism of him!

There is no doubt in my mind Trump is a clever businessman and a smooth media operator, plus his unorthodox ‘speak your mind no matter how it sounds like’ makes him unique and to some even a brave man of conviction. And here is where many went wrong with the Donald. Brave conviction politicians who speak from the heart without a polished, focus group tested, teleprompter delivered speech are extinct. When Trump gives a speech you can see his brain working, feel his heart racing and sense the passion in every word, and that is rare.

The political world might not think Trump is presidential material, but regular folks find him down to earth, relatable and funny. They are tired of unapproachable leaders who follow scripts and sound the same.

As the ordinary people’s choice, Donald J Trump might not win the 2016 US elections, but he will forever change the way America and the rest of the developed world do politics.