US President-elect Donald Trump's "extreme and unrelenting" campaign helped in turning the tide in his favour and trounce Democrat rival Hillary Clinton in what was the "nastiest" electioneering ever in America, former diplomat Strobe Talbott said today.
He said many US citizens are worried over Trump's assertion to change America's stance on various key issues, including walking out of the Paris agreement on climate change, said the foreign policy analyst.
The agreement brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, with enhanced support to assist developing countries to do so.
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Talbott was speaking at a panel discussion on 'Trump's Triumph-What it means for the US and the rest of us' at the ongoing Times Litfest 2016 here.
The journalist-turned-analyst, who served as US Deputy Secretary of State in the administration of President Bill Clinton, said the world's oldest democracy just saw its nastiest election campaign which ended in victory for Trump.
"It was the nastiest election campaign ever in the US. It alienated some people from the election process and the campaign was marked by racism and anti-Semitism.
"The polarisation it created in society was deep and wide. Many Republican leaders, including John McCain and Mitt Romney, distanced themselves from Trump during the campaign," said Talbott, who engaged with India post-1998 Pokhran nuclear tests with a series of talks with then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh.
Commenting over Trump's victory, the former diplomat said his "extreme and unrelenting" campaign gave advantage to him. His appearance as a brash leader actually helped him to win over Hillary Clinton, he said.
US-based political science professor Uday Singh Mehta and Manjeet Kripalani, co-founder of Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations, also participated in the event.
"The change (victory for Trump) was brought by the US middle-class which was worried about its future," Mehta said.
"On the other hand, Clinton's experience in the mainstream politics was held against her," he said.
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