Best of 2024: Heather du Plessis-Allan - Let's put Donald Trump's win into perspective

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Let me tell you, it was absolutely no surprise to me to see my Facebook friends going crazy over Trump winning the election last night - and there's been plenty of hysterical predictions now that he's won.

My absolute favourite one was from my husband, who said that Trump would take us to the brink of war. Hello - the world is already at war, we don't need to be taken to the brink, we're already there.

We've got two significant wars under way in two of the most worrying parts of the world - Europe and the Middle East - and neither of them are because of Trump, they started under Biden.

It's got me thinking - we need a bit of perspective here. People are really losing their minds over this.

We cannot predict what is going to happen in the future, but we have the past to guide us. So why don't we compare the last time Trump was President with the most recent period under Biden and see who wins at being the real crazy one here.

Because as far as I can see, Biden is the one who's been far worse for New Zealand. Sure, Trump introduced the steel tariffs on us and started a trade war with China - but last time I checked, Biden hasn't removed those tariffs and he hasn't ended the trade war with China.

So as far as I can see, they're basically the same as each other on that.

Under Biden, two new wars have started, both of which have put prices that we pay in New Zealand up. Under Trump, no new wars were started.

My husband was quick to point out North Korea and 'Rocket Man' and how they came close to staring a war - but they didn't. It might have nearly, but it didn't. Nothing happened, despite all the warnings.

Trump is too much of a crazy-maker - and other world leaders don't know how far they can push it with him and they suspect they can't, so they don't try at all.

That is why Putin invaded Georgia under Bush, Crimea over Obama and Ukraine under Biden - but there were no invasions under Trump.

Under Biden - never mind the threat of North Korea maybe doing something, two wars actually did happen. And they are worse than anything North Korea might have done.

Under Trump, the withdrawal from Afghanistan was orderly, and under Biden, it was an unmitigated disaster - which he was at the centre of - and it completely undermined America's credibility.

So before we get too hysterical about all the bad things Trump could do, how about we remind ourselves about all the bad things Biden did do? Get a bit of a grip, and ask ourselves - what would Trump actually have to do in the next four years to be worse than Biden?

Why weren't we as hysterical about Biden? Or is the hysteria just something we reserve for Donald Trump?

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