I am assuming Mr. Biden has won the presidency. Mr. Biden may have to wait a little to be certified a winner; may have to wait a little longer in view of the lawsuits the Trump campaign has filed. But, unless there is a divine intervention on his behalf, Mr. Trump stands a loser.

America has demonstrated to the world that the election system of the greatest democracy in the world is strong and fair. It was indeed a mammoth task to be handling voting and counting of votes which have outnumbered any in the past – a whopping 160 million-, up from 138 million in 2016. My friend Ven Parameswaran who has lived in this country for more than 60 years now, and has been closely studying elections, tells me it is a record percentage since 1900. On top of the numbers handled, the elections have been conducted in all fairness. It speaks of the integrity and efficiency of the huge number of officials involved in the management of elections. They deserve gratitude of the whole nation.

However, there have ben some murmurs that all is not right with the election. Well, if at all there is something wrong, it is not with the system or the people working in that system. It is a section of people who, instead  of lauding a dynamic system, berate it just because the fairness of system has denied them their cherished dream of winning the election by hook or by crook.

The cries of “stop counting” remind me of the cries of “stop testing” when  the rising numbers of coronavirus became a subject of concern for health officials and Americans. Mr. Trump was anguished that tests resulted in throwing up more positive cases of the disease. Similarly, when Trump found the number of votes going up in favor of Biden, he demanded a halt to counting. Between the first shout from him to now, we have seen how the number of votes for Biden have gone up in major battleground States, particularly, Georgia and Pennsylvania, leaving a bewildered Trump wondering where his lead has evaporated. It  is all the because  of mail-in votes which were counted after November 3 in person voting. And, all know, it is the Democrats who preferred to send in their votes by mail. So., there should be no surprise that Joe Biden came from behind and overtook Trump in many States. While Trump vented his frustration with the system,  and threatened to litigate, his rival on the ascendancy, Joe Biden advised calm  and patience to Americans, asking them to let the democratic process play out. But we cannot expect such restraint and patience from Mr. Trump , who until the other day, demanded from his base that they chant, not just four years more, but “twelve years more”. The egotistical sublime in him is hurt and hurt beyond words. Not to give in easily, and he has suggested it so often, Mr. Trump  must play out all cards available to him even at the cost of the great American nation, the great American people, the great American institutions, including the great American Justices of the Supreme Court who , erroneously he thinks, will do his bidding because they are there because of him. He forgets that God Himself resides within a Judge and guides his / her conscience. Unfortunately for America, there are always a few around Mr. Trump (many have since distanced themselves from him seeing his imminent defeat, and have been criticized also), who, like Iago in Shakespeare’s “OTHELLO” driven by “motiveless malignity” must goad Trump into more crimes, , to heap on himself greater insult and ignominy. The world knows them. Only Mr. Trump does not. Alas!

And these people, I am sure, readers know them, are telling Mr. Trump to fight back the “perceived injustice” of the election system, the imagined wrong that the election  is being stolen from him, without any evidence, whatsoever. They are not Trump’s friends. They have their own agenda which they want to play out. I wish Mr. Trump could understand their designs,  show maturity, accept  there are always opportunities, and bide his time.

And now, I am assuming Mr. Biden has won the presidency. Mr. Biden may have to wait a little to be certified a winner; may have to wait a little longer in view of the lawsuits the Trump campaign  has filed. But, unless there is a divine intervention on his behalf, Mr. Trump stands a loser.

Let Mr. Trump accept that Americans preferred Mr. Joe Biden to him. They probably were not satisfied with what he gave them. By the way, in the long history of American democracy, Mr. Trump probably is the 4^th sitting president, not to be elected for a second term, according to my friend Ven Parameswaran. Ford who was VP with Nixon , took up presidency after Nixon resigned. Technically, Ford was not an elected President. However, let us count him in. He ran for president but was defeated. Jimmy Carter was not re-elected for a second term. And, then Bush was not elected for a second term, again, according to the information provided by my friend Ven Parameswaran. Mr. Trump has certainly become a part of history.

Mr. Trump should have shown the grace befitting the President of America, as did the Democratic Presidential candidate Al Gore in 2000. Though Al Gore was a clear winner, the Supreme Court accepted the claim of George W. Bush who became the 43^rd President of the U.S. Al Gore congratulated Bush, and “offered to meet with him as soon as possible to heal the divisions of the campaign and the contest through which we have passed”.

Almost a century and a half ago, Senator Stephen Douglas told Abraham Lincoln, who had just defeated him for the presidency, “Partisan feeling must yield to patriotism. I’m with you, Mr. President, and God bless you”.

I am glad Joe Biden asked people to be “calm”  and “patient”  and let the “Democratic process play out”. That’s being a leader.

President Biden faces a daunting task. He is inheritor of a divided nation. The first task for him will be to unite the people of America. It will not be easy. It is heartening to find Joe Biden pledging to be the President of all Americans. But mere words will not heal and unite. The world will keenly watch how Biden restores the exceptional  American spirit of unity and brotherhood which makes America great. The second important task for Biden is to free Americans  of the deadly  pandemic  which has been raging for months now and has claimed  2.36K American lives. As at the time of writing this comment, America has recorded 9.76 million cases, with 100,000 new cases being reported on a daily basis. The new administration must ensure the virus is contained, and Americans get back to their normal life. Still another and immediate task before President Biden is to provide economic relief to millions of people across all walks of life who have been battered by the long spell of the pandemic, rendering them unemployed, and without adequate means to sustain themselves. They need to be rehabilitated. Their dignity needs to be restored, so they take , once again, pride in being Americans.

Yet another immediate issue of concern to President Biden should be providing jobs to millions who have during the months of pandemic lost jobs and have not had enough to support their families., with many benefits having been withdrawn by the Trump administration.

Related to job creation is the question of wages. Even though t is the States which decide on minimum wages to workers in their State, Federal government should take initiative to persuade States to agree on a fair minimum wage, which then should be applicable across the nation. The guarantee of a uniform minimum wage across the nation  will allow people to freely migrate to the State of their choice, fulfilling a basic strength of American democracy. Business and industry are other areas which need immediate attention of the new administration. America must bring back manufacturing  to its shores, which alone can create jobs, and give to the nation self-reliance which are the crying needs of the present times.

Nobody can deny that environment is an important part of our existence. Mr. Biden has rightly announced that America under him will immediately rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, from which Trump had pulled out because he thinks climate change is  “a hoax”, and may be, because it has  President Obama’s stamp on it.

November 11 is Veterans Day. It makes me unhappy to think that we do not show the veneration the veterans deserve. They need not only veneration , but also better care. Hope, President Biden will come up with some idea to give the heroes  their due. Related to Veterans are our brave soldiers. It is time to review US engagement in futile conflicts abroad.  We must bring back our soldiers who have for long been involved in conflicts which are not ours in any way and serve no legitimate American interests. Let America initiate a new era of world peace and brotherhood of entire human world. In respect of friends and foes across the world which, in other words, means foreign policy, while there is need to further strengthen ties with friendly countries, including India, there is also an urgent need to have a fresh look at US alliances.  The ruptured relationship with NATO countries must immediately be repaired.

In this context, the Trump administration’s failures in maintaining decent relationship with the United Nations and countries of the world should not be forgotten. All nations are equal partners in managing the world. They need to be treated with respect. It is the first requirement of civility. And America is a civilized nation.

It is my fervent hope that President Biden will keep his promise  to be “the president of all America, and all Americans”, and as Senator Stephen Douglas , a century and a half ago said, “Partisan feeling must yield to patriotism”. Hope, the US Senate and the US House of Representatives will lend their bipartisan support to President Biden to restore the glory of America  as the First and the Greatest Nation in the World.

God bless America!

(The author is Chief Editor of The Indian Panorama. He can be reached at salujaindra@gmail.com)