The Tribune

With CHARLIE HARPER

YESTERDAY marked a couple of anniversaries in very recent American political history. Both seem to be historically significant. And both fundamentally concern just one person.

That would be Donald Trump.

Four weeks ago a mob incited by Trump and his notorious allies attacked the US capitol, shocking the sensibilities of most Americans. Two weeks later Trump was finally, mercifully, replaced in the White House by uh, oh yes, Joe Biden.

It’s easy to overlook Biden these days. He spends most of his time before the cameras undoing by executive order the environmental, international and societal damage inflicted on the US and the world by his predecessor. He is resolutely remaining true to his basic campaign promise of a return to political civility and “normalcy” in a deeply scarred and divided American society and political establishment.

Biden is in many ways the anti-Trump. He personifies virtues the former President never knew or recognized. Modest though confident, human, visibly compassionate and slow to anger despite his Irish heritage, “Simply Joe” is simply personifying what he, and most voters, thought he would be: Not Donald Trump.

Trump, meanwhile, has had his cutting, divisive voice largely muted by his Twitter ban. There are periodic reports of him playing golf and plotting his return to the centre of American life, but the former President’s cyber silence has been deafening.

Particularly venal allies like South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy have bowed down and paid their respects to Trump at his Palm Beach estate, and rumours are flying that first child Ivanka Trump is preparing to challenge Senator Marco Rubio in the Florida Republican primary election next year.

You do have to admire Trump’s sense of timing. At just about the time he and his family were borne out of Washington for the last time on Air Force One, the weather began to turn. The capital and other East Coast centres like Baltimore and Philadelphia have in recent weeks experienced their first real snowfall in two years, and powerful storms have buffeted New York, Boston and the rest of the Northeast.

Florida, meanwhile, especially South Florida, has remained mostly seasonally sunny and mild. It’s just one more Trump outrage for his millions of critics to resent.

But what about some of those closest to him as Trump’s presidency expired?

Former Vice President Mike Pence, whose life hung in the balance with his family at the besieged capitol building January 6 as the mob shouted “Hang Pence”, quietly left Washington for what must have felt like a well-deserved vacation with his wife on St. Croix in the American Virgin Islands.

Like Bill and Hillary Clinton 20 years earlier, the Pences needed to buy a house. Both couples had resided in governor’s mansions prior to occupying government-provided residences in Washington. Pence is reportedly house shopping in his native Indiana, where he is preparing to announce the formation of a non-profit social welfare organization to promote his ideologically conservative political views.

Such groups, known from their IRS tax code designations as 501(c)4s, can be active on political issues, but are not allowed to engage in campaigning. But they can, and do, attract millions of dollars by keeping their donors secret.

No one has suggested the harrowing experiences of Pence and his family on January 6 have blunted his ambition to one day occupy the White House himself.

Another close Trump ally with clear presidential aspirations is former CIA Director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. This smart and clever ideologue from California - by way of the US military academy at West Point and Kansas - prospered and advanced as did no other Trump cabinet member.

Almost indiscriminately lobbing verbal grenades around the world as he left office, Pompeo was officially sanctioned by China among a group of other Trump appointees as “lying and cheating”. European diplomats and heads of government reportedly caused Pompeo to cancel his last scheduled trip by refusing to meet with him.

Pompeo has truly gone to ground since the Biden inauguration, but he will reappear. Seemingly as pugnacious as Trump but displaying notably more self-control, Pompeo is sure to return to the national political scene. Don’t bet against this man’s White House chances.

The other Trump cabinet official to leave office with the fewest scars was probably former South Carolina Governor and UN ambassador Nikki Haley. Relatively young and photogenic, she initially reminded some of former Alaska Governor and John McCain running mate Sarah Palin. But it quickly became apparent that Haley is exponentially smarter and more aware of the world than Palin, whose best role turned out to be as a reality show star.

Since January 20, Haley has turned up her public profile, deluging inboxes with reminders of her conservative credentials and appeals for contributions. Here’s a sample:

“You can be sure the Democrats won’t abandon their big-government vision, including ‘defund the police’, the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. They are simply ‘rebranding’ – which is just an attempt to hide the truth about what they really believe from voters.

“Now, there is nothing standing in the way of the Biden-Harris agenda – which is the furthest left the Democrat Party has gone in history.”

Haley is promoting her political action committee, vowing to support Republican candidates across the nation in 2022 in order to overturn current Democratic control of both houses of the US Congress. This is a time-honoured method of using time out of office to build one’s political brand by travelling the country, raising your profile in the effort to help present and future political allies.

Haley is another figure to keep your eye on as the US begins to wearily but resignedly pivot to the next presidential sweepstakes, now only 45 short months away in the future.

Haley appears now most likely to fulfil the venerable prophecy that despite the determined Democratic Party embrace of women’s rights, the first female American President will be a Republican.

It’s useful to recall in this connection that the first female British Prime Minister was the “Iron Lady,” Baroness and staunchly Conservative Margaret Thatcher. It is also intriguing that many still feel Britain’s Brexit vote foreshadowed the election of Donald Trump in America.

Two games in town but only Sunday’s will raise a smile

Meanwhile, many in the US are looking forward to two contests next week. One is likely to be depressing, discouraging and disappointing. The other promises to deliver excitement and perhaps historical significance.

The lesser contest will be Trump’s second impeachment trial in the US Senate. Unless they defy expectations, GOP senators will again acquit Trump of clearly improper and impeachable offences. Again, they will act out of fear of his continuing hold on the rank and file of Republican voters.

Shame on them. But enough about that.

Sunday’s Super Bowl 55 match between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs promises to deliver as much sunshine as the impeachment trial will ultimately spread despair.

In stark contrast to the unproductive, duopolistic mess that is the present American political system, the National Football League has successfully navigated the shoals of the coronavirus pandemic to play every single game and deliver its showpiece denouement on time for TV partners and American sport’s biggest audience.

Whatever you may think of arrogant NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, he and his team have figured out how to survive and relatively prosper while all other leagues have not. There are plenty of reasons to admire the NFL’s comparative success.

The Super Bowl looks enticing. The Chiefs are led by a respected veteran coach and front office that built the defending NFL champions and is regarded as the most efficient in the game. They have been steady 3-point favourites over the first team playing in their home stadium in Super Bowl history.

But the Chiefs are missing both starting offensive tackles. Tampa Bay’s ferocious pass rush harassed Aaron Rodgers to defeat 11 days ago. The great Kansas City offensive weapon is speed in its wide receivers. The only antidote is to pressure Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes into sacks and errors. Like the Bucs did to Aaron Rodgers.

It says here the Bucs will succeed with this strategy on Sunday, and give Tom Brady his seventh Super Bowl victory.