Metro readers react: ‘Trump’s win will empower the bigots’

Nick Smith says Harris voters vote by ‘colour, religion and gender, not ability’.

Congratulations, Elon Musk, on your winning over Taylor Swift! The billionaire’s choice got to the White House, – not so for the pop megastar. Samuel, Tooting

To Mr Musk, I would say, money is power and – as Lord Acton said – ‘power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely’. To that I would add you are judged by the company you keep. Nick, North London

Will Trump’s presidency be much more of the same?

If we’re lucky, Trump will be just as pliant and inept as he was in his first term, if not more so – given his advanced age – and won’t get anything done. If we’re unlucky, he’ll start dishing out oil licences on day one. But if he is vaguely ‘successful’, I’d assume his focus would be on seizing control of the courts and using the army to deport migrants.

Trump poses an existential threat to those people, along with other groups 
(eg gender-diverse people, any woman requiring reproductive healthcare etc).

Lots of people in those groups have guns and nothing to lose. We’ve seen nationwide violence in US politics before – there’s no reason to think it won’t happen again. Rob Slater, Norfolk

Or worse…

Understandably, a lot of people are distressed at the result of the US election.

Given the noises he was making during his campaign, we can expect to see Trump radically scaling back or halting action on climate change, massively reducing the US commitment to Nato (thus abandoning Ukraine to Putin and potentially opening up other fronts to his war machine), launching trade wars with Europe and China, and no longer encouraging restraint by Israel in the Middle East.

To paraphrase Susan Sarandon’s Louise, in Thelma and Louise, ‘It’s not the end of the world, but we can see it from here’. Julian Self, Wolverton

What will a Trump presidency mean for Ukraine?

Malcolm (MetroTalk, Thu) says Trump’s election will mean Ukraine is likely to have its support withdrawn, leading it to lose the war against Russia. But Ukraine needs a resolution – assisting on that is a good thing, is it not?

He also says this will embolden Vladimir Putin to test Nato in other areas, such as the Baltic states, but we cannot have a forever war on the edge of Europe.

As to the US turning insular, allowing China further dominance, especially in Africa, it is already full bore on this and owns an enormous amount of the world.

Anyway, to stem that tide should be a good thing – Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports included. And finally, as to Trump releasing ‘his imprisoned right-wing allies’ and an ‘increase in social unrest’, I’ll leave that to the mainstream media. Jim, London

Condolences and trying to see a bright side…

Trump is a racist pig and should never have been elected. I feel sorry for the women who will inevitably die because of his policies and the people of Ukraine who will lose their homeland. Alf, Liverpool

Sandy McPherson (MetroTalk, Wed) accuses me of ‘lazy racism’ for writing that the Scots have a reputation for being careful with money and asks if I would have ‘dared make a similar remark about persons from another race or demographic’.

I am unsure why being called ‘careful with money’ is assumed by Sandy to be insulting. The English have a reputation for being cold and reserved, the Welsh of being musical and the Irish of being great talkers – a touch of the Blarney Stone.
There is obviously a line to be drawn but I don’t think people believe any of these stereotypes is accurate. They accept them in the spirit they are usually given – as a joke. Sandy risks earning another reputation – that of being humourless. Martin, London

Sandy saying it is ‘hate speech’ to suggest Scots are careful with money is the kind of simple-minded thinking the Orwellian mainstream media has created in mindless sheeple.

In order for a stereotype or trope to exist, there must be some in the population who have that trait – otherwise it’s a total fabrication.

Being careful with money is an ability, not an insult, and therefore it’s not ‘hate speech’, which is an Orwellian term that only sheeple use and results in the erosion of free speech.

Scots may or may not be careful with money but the liberty of having the opinion that they are is the liberty to say ‘2+2=4’. If it offends snowflakes, hard luck. DL Borrell, Ashton-under-Lyne