When Donald Trump takes the oath of office for the second time in less than two weeks, he will face the near-impossible task of governing effectively.
Despite Republicans' delusions of overwhelming and at-large electoral victories;delegationTrump to governthe thinnestCertainly more political leeway than any president in this century. And by getting a plurality of votes, we have to recognize that more than half of Americans voted.don't voteFor him, for many reasons that stem from his personality and outright disgust with his past.historyBoth he and Kamala Harris are deemed unfit for public office.
So far, President Trump's biggest challenge and obstacle to success is convincing a sizable portion of this majority that he is worthy of being president. I hope he can do that. The question is which Trump will emerge.
Trump is better, a charismatic leader who has abandoned the ideology of do-or-die combat and is the voice of a wounded former president pumping his fist and screaming.Fight, fight, fight.Will Trump's “better angel” persevere, as Lincoln observed, or will the darker version that coined the phrase “American” at his first presidential inauguration eight years ago continue?massacre” remains unknown. But his presidency will depend on it.
How would President Joe Biden answer the question, when he took office in 2021, if the situation in America was better or worse than it was four years ago? The coronavirus pandemic was not yet over. The economy was unstable. And Trump only succeeded in further dividing the nation.
But that was before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered the military to prepare for a Taiwan contingency by 2027. And no one could have predicted that Biden would lose his re-election bid after making incoherent statements during a debate with President Trump on June night. And clearly there is a problem.
Despite record growth since President Trump’s election and this year;dow jonesThe average stock price fell 3,000 points. European allies fear the worst, given that what is seen as an “America First” policy increases U.S. isolationism and essentially creates a metaphorical towbridge to the outside world. . A recently retired senior UK Member of Parliament, the Hon. Tobias Ellwood, spoke to me about this concern a few days ago.
Some of us are thinking of Mr. Trump;desireMaking Canada the 51st state, buying Greenland from Denmark, and taking the Panama Canal from Panama were either misdirections and deceptions, or delusions, to hide other efforts, and it was the British It's not recognition.
This scenario is that the United States withdraws from being the world's policeman and becomes the protector of Fortress America, protection from the rest of the world made more secure by these territorial gains.
As the polar ice sheets melt, Greenland will provide the United States with a buffer against the exploitation of new sea routes by China and Russia. At a time when President Trump is imposing high tariffs to make the United States rich again and help pay off $36 trillion in debt, the owners of this canal have no control over who can and cannot use it for shipping. will give influence to
On the one hand, this scenario seems absurd. the usa hadTried it twiceAttempts to bring Canada into the fold during and after the American Revolution failed. Alaska is already a member of the Arctic Circle, so why does it need Greenland to access the Arctic? And unless there is an invasion, Panama will not give up the canal.
But with Trump, you never know. And this does not include President Trump's plan to end Ukraine and its conflict.
Perhaps more realistic is domestic politics. challenge. Immediate legislative action is needed on the debt ceiling and budget. With a razor-thin House majority, how will border and deportation promises be kept? Will President Trump's tax cuts be extended and other initiatives approved?
And will his government efficiency arm succeed, or will it cause so much chaos that only chaos and gridlock ensues?
Frankly, given the way he is politicized, one might wonder whether Lincoln or FDR would have handled it better than Trump. If a “better Trump” wins and can convince a majority of Americans to believe in him, his chances of success only increase. If a “darker Trump” prevails, this country, and perhaps the rest of the world, will suffer.
What will happen? Perhaps his second appointment will provide some hints.
Dr. Harlan Kullman (Twitter/X @harlankullman) is Arnaud deBorchgrave special columnist for United Press International, senior advisor to the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, chairman of two private companies, and lead author of Shock and Awe Military Doctrine. His next book, scheduled for publication in 2025, is The Great Paradox: Strategic Thinking in an Unstrategic World.
