At the center of this whirlwind of democracy was none other than the incumbent President, Donald J. Trump, the man who turned the Oval Office into a Twitter pulpit and diplomatic relations into episodes of reality TV. Trump, a maverick in a red tie, approached the election with the confidence of a man who's just found a coupon for a free haircut and knows exactly what he wants: "Just a little off the sides, please, but leave the top. It's perfect."
Finally Trump'ed up campaign comes to an end after giving some anxious moment to the republican camp.
In the midst of a global pandemic, Trump's rallies were less about social distancing and more about social gathering. The term 'super-spreader' became synonymous with both the virus and misinformation, and masks were often treated like the dress code at an informal beach wedding—optional and largely ignored.
Then came the debates, a series of verbal jousts where Trump, armed with barbs and quips, faced off against Joe Biden, who often looked like he was wondering whether he'd left the stove on at home. The debates were less about policies and more about endurance, as viewers played a drinking game with the phrase "Will you shut up, man?" Spoiler alert: everyone lost that game.
The antics of Trump have etched themselves indelibly into my
memory, living there rent-free. Consider the moment during his visit to
Gujarat, India, at Modi's invitation, when he attempted to pronounce
'Vivekananda' - the revered Indian reformer and activist. His tongue tripped and
tumbled over the name, transforming it into something that sounded suspiciously
like "Weee Vik aa nan mundaaa."
Cutting to the chase, election night arrived with all the certainty of a groundhog's shadow. As the votes were tallied, Trump's lead began to wane, and the President did what any reasonable adult would do: he took to Twitter to declare victory prematurely and accuse the other side of stealing the election. It was like calling "shotgun" before your friend has even bought a car.
The days that followed were a blur of lawsuits, recounts, and tweets—so many tweets. Trump's legal team, led by the ever-composed Rudy Giuliani, held a press conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping—because nothing says "I'm taking this seriously" like standing next to a sex shop and a crematorium.
As the legal battles waned and the Electoral College cast its votes, Trump's tenure as President was given an expiration date, but not before he pardoned a cornucopia of cronies and possibly contemplated pardoning himself—a move as unprecedented as it was on-brand.
In the end, the 2020 U.S. Election was a masterclass in political theater, with Trump playing the lead role in a performance that was part King Lear, part reality TV, but all-American. It was a time when satire became redundant because reality had beaten it to the punchline.
So, let's raise a glass to the 2020 election: the year politics became so bizarre, comedians had to check if they were accidentally reporting the news. And to Donald Trump, the man who left the White House with the same subtlety he governed—kicking, screaming, and tweeting into the wind.
