Lagman: Trump’s loss presents a lot of lessons for PH

MANILA, Philippines — The defeat of incumbent United States President Donald Trump in the recently-concluded elections has a lot of lessons in store for Filipinos, Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman said on Sunday.

Lagman believes that a president who fooled people cannot expect to win — or his endorsed candidate — to be victorious in the next elections.

Trump’s opponent Joe Biden was said to be the president-elect according to various media outfits in the US which have been monitoring the elections.  The incumbent on the other hand believes Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the election winner.

“There are universal verities which we can learn from the decisive defeat of President Donald Trump: The electorate cannot be fooled twice by an elected President who has acted erratically and irresponsibly. He or his proxy will be rejected in the immediately succeeding election,” Lagman said in a statement.

“Broken promises for reforms take their toll on election day,” he added.

READ: Joe Biden elected 46th US president

READ: Trump erupts as Biden closes in on US presidency

Lagman added that a presidency that is filled with lies and false propaganda will always be unmasked while noting that failure to address various issues like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will take a huge toll on any campaign.

Trump has been accused of mismanaging the country’s affairs amid the health crisis, which resulted in the US having the highest percentage of COVID-19 cases globally.  Of the 49.10 million coronavirus infections and 1.239 million casualties recorded worldwide, the US accounts for 9.504 million cases and 233,292 deaths.

READ: Don’t be afraid’ of COVID, ‘get out there,’ Trump says as he returns to White House

“Lies and false propaganda cannot be embellished without being unmasked.  Policy flip-flopping has its limits and cannot prevail for long,” Lagman noted.

“Failure to successfully confront the COVID-19 pandemic is a political pitfall,” he added.

Several world leaders including President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo have already sent out their congratulatory messages to Biden, although Trump remains firm that there was election fraud and that he will take legal action.

READ: Duterte congratulates Biden on US presidential election victory

READ: Trump erupts as Biden closes in on US presidency

As the Philippines watched the US elections draw to a close, observers and people on social media turn their attention towards the country’s 2022 presidential elections.

Critics of the administration have looked at the result of the US election as a sign of hope that the candidate to be endorsed by Duterte can be defeated despite his popularity.

READ: American elections through Filipino eyes

READ: Early lessons from the US elections

/MUF