Readers’ thoughts on what Trump’s win means for the world

Welcome to openDemocracy’s weekly reader comments round-up. We receive so many carefully considered messages about our work that it seems a shame to keep them to ourselves. Send us your thoughts for next week’s round-up by replying directly to any of our emails or commenting on our articles or Instagram posts.

These comments are edited for clarity, accuracy and length, and aren’t necessarily a reflection of openDemocracy's editorial position.

Re: Weekly Poll: What does the Democratic Party need to do to win in 2028?

The Democratic Party needs to move out of the way, as do virtually all political parties around the world. This form of politics is dead from head to toe. People are dying from war, genocide and the impact of the climate crisis. Supporting genocidal, ambitious self-promoting, sycophantic billionaire-loving politicians who don't care about us and don't represent us is mass suicide. People have to find a way to come together and defend themselves locally, nationally and internationally. We can't afford not to – if we want people and every form of life on the planet to survive. –Crissie

Move to the left, but on bread-and-butter everyday issues, and support economic security for the majority. –Roy Morris

The first thing is to have an open and fair primary selection process. Joe Biden should have recognised his frailty and stood down earlier, allowing the best possible candidate to come through the primary process. Anointing Kamala Harris at the last moment under pressure and with no vote of support from the party members left an open goal for Donald Trump, which with a conservative-biased Supreme Court, was a huge mistake. –Kevin Charlton

The USA has two main political parties, one of which is further to the right than the other. There is now an urgent need for a centre-left alternative. The main problem with that is to find a form of description that avoids the words ‘socialist’ and ‘liberal’, both of which have become demonised in the US, suggestive to many of the word ‘communism’. I have no clear idea how to navigate through such prejudice and ignorance of real-world politics, but hope that a real alternative might emerge sooner rather than later. –Richard Noyce

One of the reasons the Democratic Party didn’t win the election may be its support for the war in Ukraine. Although I disagree with Trump on most other issues, one benefit of his election may be a negotiated settlement with Vladimir Putin. This is the only way that war will end anyway, whoever is in power in the US. –Tamara Eileen Galloway

Elections are more often lost than won. The Tories lost this year’s UK election, rather than Labour winning it. The US presidential election is another case in point. The Democrats’ election failure has foisted Trump on the world. There is now only one way they can make amends and save at least something of their reputation. Biden and Harris can use the power they still have to immediately stop shipments of armaments to Israel. They should, of course, have listened to Jill Stein, the US Green Party’s presidential nominee, months ago. So many humane Democrats could not bring themselves to vote for such complicity in genocide. –Richard Stevens

Sadly, I think the Democrats need to put up a male candidate next time. There are swathes of US males who will not vote for a woman as president. Minor roles, yes, vice-president maybe, president, no. Yes, I am angry. –Helen Palmer

To win in 2028:

1. Don’t spend a year funding a genocide
2. Don’t trash the principles of democracy by not having a free and fair primary
3. Don’t trash the working class, minorities, and youth who voted for change
4. Don’t be a party that carries out only the wishes of the donor class, corporations, and the military-industrial complex

5 Stop funding foreign wars to further US imperialism

1. Don’t suppress free speech on social media platforms
2. Don’t criminalize and suppress students protesting genocide
3. Stop giving diplomatic cover to the apartheid state of Israel
4. Don’t coronate a vacuous tool as your presidential candidate
5. Don’t incessantly call the other side Hitler
6. Adhere to fair debate rules that do not centre biassed moderators
7. Offer the public something to vote for instead of telling them they are ignorant and racist if they don’t vote for your candidate
8. Protect the rights of legal immigrants and citizens

–Yvonne York

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Read the original story this poll was based on here.

Re: Trump’s Project 2025 is already underway in Argentina, and it’s terrifying

Project 2025 is a piss-take. The rich and powerful are having a laugh because they can. We’re nothing to them. Not even plebs. If we’re nothing, aren't we free to do what we want? We are many, they are few. –@babssheking

The US has done a number on the world and what is now playing out in Argentina is the cult of Trump. This will end tragically and we just have to make sure that it stays on American soil. Journalists in the UK have a massive job now – just one job: to educate people at risk of voting for far-right populist Farage. –@Primrose_Sugartoes

Re: What Trump’s win means for Africa’s trade and investment

What a fascinating read! A very different perspective on the Trump administration’s past and future. I guess only time will tell! –Simon Kilpin

Read the original story here.

Re: US voters want change, Biden’s exit hasn’t fixed that

It's 7 November today and Trump has won the election. Aman Sethi has been proved correct. The prognostications for Labour, in the UK, are most probably correct too. Any government wishing to achieve real change is going to have to tackle neo-liberalism and its cohorts and put them in their box. That would appear to be a precondition whether for economic change or climate change, social change or health improvement. They are going to have to explain why, too ... which is unlikely if they all sit at the same dining tables. Would this be communism? Not necessarily ... though it certainly would be attacked as such. –ArthurBlue

Read the original story here.