Aside from it taking the spotlight off Brexit for a moment, the US election seems to be taking over. 'Who cares?', I hear you ask. But you should care. Although the result in America won't directly affect who leads Britain, it very much will indirectly affect the country.
My brother text me this image to remind me that politics doesn't have to be boring. Image credit: Jack Kilburn
Let's get serious for a moment. It's a bit complicated, mind, considering we are effectively trying to predict the future. Nevertheless, here's what could happen to international relations between the UK and the USA after Donald Trump became the next President of the United States of America.
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Now America has chosen Trump as their next leader, then the UK government may need to start doing some grovelling. That's because earlier this year more than 570,000 people signed an online petition calling for Trump to be banned from the UK, which was more than enough to trigger a debate in Parliament.
However, it seems as if Trump is a forgiving soul as he has also said that the UK would "not be at the back of queue" when talking about trade deals following the post-Brexit decision.
The Republican was an avid supporter of Brexit and accused European leaders of not doing more to combat the flow of terrorists across their borders. At one point, he was even seen buddying up with former UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who backed his message while obviously enjoying being on Trump's friends list.
Some economists have warned that his threats of tariffs could hurt American industries that depend on international supply chains, which could even trigger a harmful trade war. As a result, this could shrink globalisation and cut many business opportunities for its partners, including the UK.
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And terrorism...
When it comes to terrorism, Trump doesn't show any mercy and opts for more extreme ways to eradicate the worldwide problem. Following the attacks in France and Belgium, he publically said that if these countries allowed for gun ownership, the innocent lives of many civilians who died would have been prevented. Considering that London is among other major cities that are on high alert, Trump's rhetoric suggests that those living there would be safer with gun ownership legalised. He used recent terrorist attacks as an opportunity to air his views that Americans should be armed.
Would that affect a decision to step in and help in such extreme circumstances? Well, that's questionable. Probably not considering the traditionally strong relationship between the two nations. But his opinions on the matter are as strong as his views on terrorist groups that cause such devastation.
When it comes to ISIS, he wants to "bomb the shit" out of the group's oil operations.
Trump is calling for 90,000 additional active-duty army soldiers, 42 more Navy ships, 100 more modern fighter aircraft and increased nuclear and missile defence capabilities. He wants to spend around £500 billion a year, which is £65 billion more than President Barack Obama has projected.
However, Trump would also like to place more responsibility on allies, refraining from nation-building and keeping US forces at home.
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Much of Trump's rhetoric is bold. He says that the system as it stands isn't working, yet he doesn't appear to offer a solution. If America vote for him, the change that he promises will be uncertain. Only the other day I was speaking with Dr Christine Harlen who is a lecturer in US politics at the University of Leeds. She said that many believe people will vote for Trump in order take a risk. "I would say that there are two main stereotypes of Republicans," she said. "One of them is the wealthy, established, business-orientated individuals that hold family values close. The other stereotype is those who are desperate for change."
The only thing that can stop this corrupt machine is YOU. The only force strong enough to save our country is US.
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Over to you, America...
Featured image credit: PA
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Election, President, UK, USA