Trump could be back

The play, the 47th at the Old Vic theatre imagines the return of Donald Trump as President of the US in 2024. It is a highly amusing play with Bertie Carvel brilliant in the role of Trump. The gestures, appearance and manipulation are all spot on. Trump returns, calling forth the mob in his support. Playwright Mike Bartlett conjures with the question as to what will happen, how can a Trump resurgence be dealt with? In the play Vice President Kamila Harris takes over from President Joe Biden and is set to contest with Trump, as to who will be the 47th President of the US. The 47th veers between satire and slapstick but nevertheless raises some important issues. If anyone questions the danger of a Trump return, then the recent interview with Piers Morgan on Talk TV should assuage any doubts. Trump clearly intends to run. He continues to question the result of the 2020 election, while whipping up his followers. The threat of Trump and populism will remain until something is really done to bridge the gap between haves and have nots and the lack of trust in politicians generally. President Joe Biden has brought stability back to the American system. He has notably got to grips with the Covid pandemic. He is serious about climate change and inequality. However, he has not changed the system itself, just managed it better. The same process has been going on in this country for many years. A system that impoverishes many is never really challenged just managed differently. The Jeremy Corbyn led Labour Party offered real change, a program that saw thousands joining the party in support. However, that agenda was rejected at the polls in 2019. The people railed against elitism, via Brexit, then voted for a party representing the elite, led by an elitist - similar to what happened in America with Trump. The masses rail against elites then elect those from the elites, claiming they are not. We need a real return of integrity in politics. A system where people do as they say and when they do wrong step down. There also needs to be a fundamental change of the system to favour the many not the few. We cannot go on with such a polarising society that sees on one side more billionaires and on the other millions more going to foodbanks. Trust needs to be restored to our politics to bring about a genuine coming together for the common good. The politics of Trump in America and Boris Johnson here represent the opposite of such a consensus. * The 47th is on at the Old Vic till 28th May