The election of Donald Trump might be a bigger problem for the fortunes of New Zealand’s National-led coalition government than a Kamala Harris presidency, Prof Robert Patman believes.
Trump has beaten Harris in a close contest with a clear outcome — ‘‘an incredible political comeback’’ — making him the 45th and 47th president of the United States.
Ironically, while New Zealand’s centre-right government might be more closely ideologically aligned with Trump’s Republican Party, the election of Democrat Harris as US president would have had a better option for the coalition’s economic and political fortunes, international relations specialist Prof Patman says.
‘‘What Mr Trump is proposing, for example sweeping tariffs, is going to affect our economic performance.’’
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Prof Patman says Trump has a top-down view of the world that means great powers, and not New Zealand, will be his priority.
‘‘And . . . he is an enemy of multi-lateralism, which is a keystone of New Zealand foreign policy.
‘‘He wants weaker international institutions, which is bad news if you happen to be a small player on the international stage.’’
Speaking on Global Insight, Prof Patman also discusses what Trump’s ‘‘America first’’ ethos means for the rest of the world; the impact an unexpected global event could have on his presidency; the likelihood of a break between Western Europe and the US over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; and the possibility Australia will experience ‘‘buyer’s remorse’’ for its part in the Aukus military alliance under ‘‘a mercurial and sometimes unpredictable’’ US president.
