Sir, – In analysing the electoral prospects of Joe Biden, Fintan O'Toole, quite reasonably, says that Donald Trump capitalised on "white, male, heterosexual resentment" of others. This was "the essence of his appeal" ("Who can beat Trump? Not Joe Biden", Analysis, May 18th).
While Mr Trump certainly exploited such views, I think this misses a crucial aspect of US binary politics – namely that all one has to do is beat one’s opponent. And the reality is that Hillary Clinton was, whether we in Ireland like her or not, a dreadful candidate.
In September 2016, in the run-up to election day, the Pew Research Centre reported that 53 per cent of Trump voters said their vote was primarily directed against Hillary Clinton. Only 44 per cent characterised it as pro-Trump. Mrs Clinton remains an astonishingly divisive character, which Joe Biden is not. For a great many voters, though, the essence of Mr Trump’s appeal was that he was the only alternative to Hillary Clinton. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN O’BRIEN,
Kinsale,
Co Cork.