Tacking challenges from a maverick ‘hero’

In the meantime, Korea will have to avoid war and build a path toward the inter-Korean peace that Trump is pursuing by coaxing him.

KIM SEUNG-JUNGThe author is a professor of archaeology at the University of Toronto. People in North America have been unsettled over the U.S. presidential election for months, and now it has ended with Donald Trump’s sweeping victory. It was an unfavorable race for Vice President Kamala Harris in many ways, as she started the campaign belatedly after President Joe Biden withdrew his candidacy. Watching Trump clench his fists and shout “Fight! fight!” after the assassination attempt, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that the game was over.

Trump became a classic hero who came back from a symbolic death. Harris was a woman of color and couldn't break the glass ceiling after Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful presidential bid and gave way to the maverick with 34 felony convictions. Trump’s behavior of not being bound to social norms is also a trait of an ancient hero. Heracles, who had murdered his wife and children and impregnated 50 daughters of Thespius, was one of the most revered heroes by the Greeks.

The political balance created by the uniquely American two-party system since Bill Clinton has been determined by a mere few percent of the votes. In an extremely divided society, it is important to appeal to a small number of undecided voters for their support.

However, as “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)” policies stemming from the Black Lives Matter movement and “progressive” changes overly catering to the interests of a small number of people became the political mainstream after Covid-19, many increasingly feel discontent. The Democratic Party is no longer recognized as a party protecting the working class, but as a corrupt “elite party” that colluded with the mainstream media only to check political incorrectness.

Above all, Harris’ defeat exposed the incompetence of American intellectuals. Democrats have a lot of work to do to restore public sentiment in the future. The world is bracing for the economic impact of Trump’s protectionism. In the meantime, Korea will have to avoid war and build a path toward the inter-Korean peace sought by Trump by coaxing him.