US President Joe Biden recently welcomed US President-elect Donald Trump to the White House, and his recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Lima provided further insight into the evolving dynamics between the US and China. During their conversation, Biden recalled, “I remember being on the Tibetan Plateau with you, and I remember being in Beijing.” This remark suggests a subtle positioning on US-China relations, particularly in regard to Tibet, signaling how Tibet will be discussed. The full impact of these dynamics on Tibet and the role of Trump 2.0 will become clearer each passing day. Let us know try to understand and see potential possibilities based on trends and events that have occurred and have been laid in the public.
Prologue:
On 6th November, the world stood in anticipation of the results of the 2024 US Presidential elections. The results were announced and Donald Trump emerged victorious, he not only secured the necessary electoral college votes, but won all the 7 swing states and also the popular mandate (which he did not secure during his 1st term) as the 47th President-elect of the United States of America. His opponent, Kamala Harris conceded the election and even incumbent US President Joe Biden congratulated Trump on his victory, showing to us all the essence of democracy. The leaders from the two most populous nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and President Xi Jinping of China, extended their congratulations. The Central Tibetan Administration and His Holiness the Dalai Lama also congratulated and wished him well. There was an unanimous peak in following of US politics surrounding this election around the world, underscoring the crucial and pivotal that the US continues to have in global affairs.
Hence, it is no surprise that the question in the mind of many is how Trump 2.0 might impact their own country, people and community. Many have debated extensively on that besides the American electorate and this debate even percolated among the Tibetan community with differing views generated during the election phase. Tibetans who have acquired US citizenship legally have the right to vote and there were small public campaigns within the community to support either of the two presidential candidates be it Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. Furthermore, this engagement also touched the House of Representatives where Tibetans were supporting those candidates who had and continue to support the Tibetan freedom movement, Rep. Jim McGovern being a notable one here.
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