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US Politics
This Week in AsiaOpinion
Neil Newman
Neil Newman

Abacus | Will Biden’s China, Russia and North Korea woes provide ballast for a Trump return?

  • On the first anniversary of the US Capitol insurrection and ahead of the November midterms, Trump is hoping the stars will align for him
  • Amid Biden’s foreign policy struggles, a slimmed-down Kim Jong-un could also complicate matters again for the US

Reading Time:5 minutes
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A flag left by supporters of former president Donald Trump outside the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Photo: AP
Neil Newman

The editorial desk at This Week In Asia kindly thought of me when scouting for ideas for their forward-looking 2022 jamboree of predictions. I enthusiastically took on the challenge, looking for something beyond my ramblings on interest rates which they kindly published.

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I got to thinking about Donald Trump and that he has been low key, especially on the political front, and how North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has been relatively quiet also.
If Kim were to mischievously play with the White House in an election year, might he provide a catalyst for Trump’s comeback amid US President Joe Biden’s looming foreign policy dirt-nap? Let me explain.
Supporters of former president Donald Trump are seen outside the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. File photo: AP
Supporters of former president Donald Trump are seen outside the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. File photo: AP

Revolution

This year is lining up to be a big one for US politics, with the midterm elections on November 8 determining control of Congress. Along the way, both the Biden and Trump camps will attempt to display political strength.

If you think November is a long way off, then just pause for a moment to remember where we were exactly one year ago, on January 6, 2021 – the day the US Capitol was stormed to stop the counting of electoral votes amid talk of a coup, civil war, the 200-year-old beacon of American democracy being extinguished and the lack of vegan meal options in jail.

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On the first anniversary of the event, Biden is set to deliver a speech to “speak the truth about what happened”, after Trump on Tuesday abruptly postponed a news conference during which he was certain to recite the well-worn script about voter fraud.
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