Enter the Donald: The Trump empire goes global in inauguration fit for a ‘king’
With a scale of victory that defied the pollsters, the media, and many of his own supporters last November, we bow to Donald Trump for a historic comeback. Trump has achieved in religious terms, the holy trinity, the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives. This was no mean feat for a man who was raised as a Presbyterian but now considers himself non-denominational, on a day which sees Donald Trump sworn in as the 47th president of the US.
Every new president begins a fresh chapter in American history. Trump inherits a somewhat strong US economy, which is growing faster than nearly all other advanced economies and when Donald Trump is inaugurated in a freezing Washington, DC today, he will be hoping to usher in a new era for his country. Donald Trump campaigned on the promise of “America First” and to make America great again. But what new message will the 47th president of the United States want to convey today? The whole world is listening with apprehension as we enter a “Trumpian” era
Trump’s election win marked a watershed moment for the global economy the geopolitical landscape and the for the United States. Donald Trump’s US presidential win, together with a Republican sweep of the US Congress puts Trump now in a strong position to swiftly start implementing his economic and political agenda as soon as he enters the White house doors. As his campaign proposals were very broad-brush, it’s too early to assess how his policies will play out. However, he has made clear that trade tariffs, immigration controls, regulatory easing and tax cuts are priorities. President Trump tears up treaties and trade agreements when he thinks it was wrong to sign them. He’s right about that; leaders must know how to use the cooling-off period and withdraw from bad deals.
In Europe, today’s inauguration of Donald Trump will mean a reset in politics, trade and security. Trump’s policies will apply pressure on Europeans as a wake up call to act collectively, particularly to revive their economies and strengthen their defenses . Europeans have heard him talk about cutting support for Ukraine, introducing tariffs and forcing NATO members to massively increase defense spending. The question, as ever, is whether his actions will match his rhetoric. Mr Trump has promised a rapid end to the Ukraine war, but he hasn’t said how. If Russia, after so much time and loss of life, felt it was suddenly in the ascendancy over a weakened Ukraine, it might demand the sort of deal that would unsettle the whole of Eastern Europe.
Unlike free-market liberals, President Trump doesn’t consider global free trade the be-all and end-all of human progress. When free trade favors American interests, President Trump is in favor of free trade; in the contrary case, he finds old-fashioned protectionist measures entirely appropriate. Trump plans to sign more than 50 executive orders today and possibly more than 100 on the first day of his second presidency, according to a person in his transition operation.
On the first day of his previous term, Trump signed only one executive order, which targeted the Affordable Care Act. The first wave of Trump’s executive orders, some of which may be rolled out later in the week, are expected to include a mix of campaign trail promises, reversals of outgoing President Joe Biden’s policies and a restructuring of the federal workforce.
Questions remain, though, about how many goals from Trump’s list he’ll be able to accomplish on his first day. Additionally, some of the policies will require Congressional approval. Donald Trump told thousands of roaring supporters yesterday he would impose severe limits on immigration on his first day in office, vowing to swiftly fulfill the central promise of his presidential campaign at a rally y inside a packed Washington arena a day before he returns to power. “By the time the sun sets tomorrow, the invasion of our country will have come to a halt,” he said to cheers at a “Make America Great Again Victory Rally”.
The moment the world has waited for is almost here, President Trump starts his second term under a dramatically changed global environment of growing inequality, rising authoritarian practices and ongoing conflicts. “January 20th cannot come fast enough!” Trump posted this week on his social media site. “Everybody, even those that initially opposed a Victory by President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Administration, just want it to happen.”