America enters the second age of Trump

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Donald Trump’s inaugural address eight years ago became known as the “American carnage” speech for his call for a dystopia of rusting factories, poverty and crime. His second hit, in part, heralded the sunny tone that promised a new “America’s Golden Age”. But much of the vindictive rhetoric was rooted in a sense of justice and a personal mission born out of his remarkable political comeback. For his supporters and critics alike, the conclusion must be that Trump’s second age promises to be even more consequential and disruptive than the first.

There were moments of eloquence, when Trump extolled the achievements of American pioneers, from those who opened up the US West to those who led mankind to the stars. He asserted that America would regain its “rightful place as the greatest, most powerful and respected nation on earth.”

But he simultaneously indicted a “radical and corrupt institution” that extracted power and wealth from citizens and a government that could not handle “even a simple crisis”. Opponents fear his pledge to end the “weaponization” of the justice system he believes has been manipulated to target him amounts to de facto using tools of US justice. Settle the score with his enemies. And although there was no mention of annexing Canada or Occupy GreenlandHis announcement that America would take back the Panama Canal would unsettle both allies and adversaries.

From a returning Trump, such warnings have added strength. Despite his ignorance of Washington politics during his first term and the “adults in the room” he was employed as advisers, he eventually became president. He reshaped Western attitudes toward China, accelerated the retreat from multilateralism, and empowered right-wing populist parties around the world.

The man who took the oath of office Monday in the Capitol Rotunda — where four years ago rioters tried to block President Joe Biden’s transition of power — is much stronger this time. He leads almost total affiliation with the Republican Party majorities in both houses of Congress. His cabinet picks are defined by their loyalty to him. And not just Silicon Valley billionaires, but many corporate leaders have bowed to Trump. A narrow victory in the popular vote is now seen as a change in the political climate.

Trump 2.0 has a more detailed agenda that could bring about a sea change in how America is governed and how it interacts with the rest of the world. He clarified that among the 100 or so executive orders he has already begun signing are declaring national emergencies, including those on immigration and energy, giving him the power to move quickly through new measures.

Trump is holding off on imposing long-anticipated tariffs for now, despite a campaign promise to impose universal tariffs on global imports and higher rates in Canada, Mexico and China. But Trump’s confirmation that he will end Biden’s Green New Deal and withdraw the US from the Paris climate accord is a blow to climate action. Some of his other orders are unprecedented, radical and legally questionable.

Americans outside the Maga base also have many reasons to fear for their democracy. Biden rightly warned in his farewell address that the marriage of vast wealth and political influence in the new Trump circle is a “Aristocracy. . . America is taking shape.” That Trump and his wife launched MemeCoin in the days before his inauguration to take advantage of the world’s most speculative market is emblematic of this self-interested shift. The legal world, watchdogs and media groups must pay attention. Trump’s first term and its end It was turbulent enough. But the checks and balances of American power would be tested like never before.