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Being pro-Trump has causedme more grief than being

Bin Laden’s niece

mericans are, in my experience, the warmest, most kind-hearted and open-mindedpeople in the world. I have found this to be true for my whole life, despite being theniece of Osama Bin Laden and sharing the same surname (albeit spelled slightly

di�erently — Bin Ladin is the original translation). Americans base their judgment on thecontent of someone’s character and actions, not on the colour of their skin — or their last name.�is was rea�rmed last month, a�er I voiced my love for America and support for PresidentTrump. �e response to ‘My Letter to America’ has been overwhelmingly wonderful, and I ammost thankful to all those who took the time to read it and send kind messages, includingSpectator readers. But in my private life, I have lost a few so-called friends for backing DonaldTrump over the past �ve years. Coming out publicly was a step too far for some, and the vitriol Ireceived for stating my political beliefs revealed un�attering sides to certain characters. From a

Noor Bin Ladin

From magazine issue: 10 October 2020

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sociological standpoint, it is quite interesting that in some elitist circles being pro-Trump hascaused me more grief than carrying the name Bin Ladin.

ven more striking were the contrasting reactions to President Trump’s Covid diagnosis.Gleeful comments devoid of compassion �ooded social media, some even going as far as to

wish for his death. Kim Jong-un showed more sympathy than many of the President’s detractors.Yet for all the hate, there was an outpouring of love and well-wishes from his supporters. Onetake from a favourite Twitter account of mine (@HonorAndDaring) expressed it best: ‘Trump isthe �rst and only President that I’ve actually cared about. �at’s because he’s the �rst President inrecent memory that seems to care more about Americans than an abstract ideology or justenriching his donors.’ �is sentiment is clearly felt by many Americans, who come out in drovesfor the President wherever he goes, including Walter Reed Medical Center during his stay: if hecan’t hit the road, the rally comes to him.

nd why do I support Donald Trump? Look at his record. He has stood up to China, keptAmerica out of new wars, solidi�ed ties with Israel, overturned the disastrous Iran deal and

obliterated Isis. Domestically, he removed handicapping regulations to American economicgrowth, rebuilt a depleted military, brought back manufacturing and revamped dying industriesby renegotiating trade deals and cutting taxes; he has achieved energy independence, curbedimmigration — all of which contributed to setting record unemployment rates. He has tackledneglected issues such as human tra�cking and unjust incarceration — and given America achance at restoring her principles, pride, independence and true place in the world as beacon ofliberty and hope for all.

had intended to write this from London, but Covid quarantine restrictions prevented mefrom �ying into the UK from Switzerland. I did try to skirt the rules, I admit, via

neighbouring countries, but to no avail. In proper Orwellian fashion, all travelling nowadays ismonitored with mandatory governmental forms throughout Europe, even if your country isn’ton the quarantine list. I missed my goddaughter’s baptism as a result. Besides the sadness I feltfrom missing out on this, I thought of all those who couldn’t be with their loved ones beforepassing away during lockdown, and was �lled with dread at the prospect of what the futuremight hold: is the next step ‘no vaccine, no travel’?

t least I wasn’t subjected to a two-hour Black Lives Matter-themed play, �e New Tomorrowat the Young Vic, unlike my friend who wasn’t so lucky last weekend. She was invited by a

le�ist friend of hers and, unknown to her before accepting the invitation, the entire play was aBLM manifesto. Not surprisingly, she described the experience as a form of torture; her friendwas enthralled. While I’m glad to miss out on London’s latest cultural trends, I was disappointedat having to cancel my reunion with friends — not least with Douglas Murray whose bookl h f � M d f C d t th Sp t t � i � hi hli ht f l t

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launch for �e Madness of Crowds at the Spectator o�ces remains a �rm highlight of last year.

hankfully, these frustrations and let-downs are outweighed by hope, love and trust. Seeingthe upli�ing images of Americans rallying around the President also warms my heart and

li�s my spirits. I wish I could be there with them. You can be sure I’ll be on one of the �rst �ightsto America once restrictions are li�ed — via London, to meet my goddaughter, of course.

The New Tomorrow is reviewed by Lloyd Evans.

WRITTEN BY

Noor Bin Ladin