Donald Trump will begin his second term as President of the United States of America (POTUS) on Monday. Never in the history of this great nation have so many doubts and concerns been raised about a president as we are witnessing now. How will the new term impact the US and the world is anyone’s guess?
Let’s go back to Trump’s last tenure as POTUS. On January 20, 2017, the illustrious first Black US president, Barak Obama handed over the reins to him. Trump arrived in the Oval Office advocating a radically strict anti-immigration policy and big-ticket reforms. Stiff challenges notwithstanding, he pushed through a comprehensive tax reform program within 100 days of assuming power. It was enough to retain his popularity and surveys suggested that 90% of his supporters were ready to vote for him once again even though many of his poll promises were hanging fire.
Trump was an anathema for the liberals who were spooked by his words and deeds alike. They heaved a sigh of relief when he lost in 2020, claiming it to be the victory of democracy. Many, however, cautioned that Trump may have left the Oval Office but Trumpism was alive and kicking. They were proven right as Trump refused to accept his defeat. His supporters went a step further and stormed Capitol Hill. It was US democracy’s darkest hour.
How powerful Trumpism is is evident from the fact that he has been able to brush aside the dark shadow of anarchy within a short span of four years. However, there’s a world of difference between January 2017 and 2025. At that time the US forces were shedding blood to secure an elusive win in Afghanistan. Today, the Pentagon is involved in debilitating wars in Eastern Europe and West Asia. Interestingly, the news of a US-brokered ceasefire between Gaza and Israel started gaining ground just a day before Joe Biden gave his last speech as POTUS. However, on the same night, Israeli jets raided and killed more than 70 people in Gaza. No wonder, the world is nervously negotiating the constant threat of economic slowdown and the specter of nuclear war.
Washington was once synonymous with global policing, but China’s rise, Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the tentative truce being negotiated in Gaza, and new currencies chipping away at the dominance of the dollar have created complex new challenges. The situation demands a mature response from the new ruling dispensation. But instead of calming frayed global nerves, Trump is busy creating confusion and chaos.
He is the first POTUS who released a map even before assuming office. The map showed Canada as the 51st state of the US. The US also wants Greenland for environmental reasons and the Panama Canal for economic concerns. He threatened Denmark with increased tariffs if the country didn’t part with Greenland (The island is an autonomous region under the control of Denmark). Trump also wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico. His outlandish claims have evoked expected strong reactions from these countries. His actions are in gross violation of the United Nations (UN) charter on maintaining the borders and suzerainty of every country. Till now the US was considered the patron of these declarations. However, we can only rue the growing trend of leaders all over the world cloaking their expansionist and totalitarian impulses behind the garb of democracy.
Trump is entering the office with a threat to impose an extra 10% tariff on Chinese goods. If he carries out his threat, it will have a global impact. The US is China’s biggest importer. The tariffs will have a major impact on the Chinese economy which can rattle the global markets. He believes that the US, suffering from an unprecedented budgetary deficit, will benefit from these tariffs. But things may not pan out the way he wishes. While tightening the noose around Iran, US President Jimmy Carter failed to gauge the chutzpah of the Iranian youth who occupied the US embassy in Tehran. The siege lasted for 444 days and it caused Carter’s defeat in the US presidential elections that followed. Carter, who died in December, was seen as a failed president. Trump is also the first US president indicted in a sexual misconduct case just before he assumed office. He won’t go to jail due to legal technicalities, but public life and probity go hand in hand.
Like Trump, his team members court controversies by the dozens. Rattled by his ideas and the profile of his team members, critics insist that independent bureaucracy is necessary to keep US presidents from becoming tyrants. Their inputs are key in maintaining continuity and balance but a team of sycophants will only be pleasing their boss. Trump’s friend Elon Musk is busy ruffling feathers. His comments on long-standing strategic partners have been creating a lot of furore. People wonder if he has Trump’s backing.
However, one must not get bogged down by Trump’s bombastic language and paint doomsday scenarios. Even his trenchant critics agree that Trump’s over-the-top behavior is meant to hog the limelight and secure a better deal for himself from his opponents. At heart, he’s a businessman; someone who wants to extract a good deal from the opponent for himself, and his country. His decisions, of course, will have a bearing on the future of the world.
Shashi Shekhar is the editor-in-chief of Hindustan. The views expressed are personal
