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Your guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world
Donald Trump’s inaugural speech eight years ago became known as the “American carnage” speech because of his reference to a dystopia of rusting factories, poverty and crime. His second partly struck a sunnier tone that was marked, promising a new “Golden Age of America.” But much of the vindictive rhetoric was still present, imbued with a sense of vindication and personal mission born of his extraordinary political comeback. For his supporters and critics, the bottom line must be that the second Trump era promises to be even more consequential and devastating than the first.
There were moments of lofty rhetoric, when Trump evoked the achievements of American pioneers, from those who opened up the US West to those who took humanity to the stars. He insisted that America would regain its “rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, and most respected nation on Earth.”
But at the same time, he condemned the “radical and corrupt establishment” that extracted power and wealth from the citizens, and the government that could not manage “even a simple crisis”. Opponents will fear that his pledge to end the “weaponization” of a justice system he believes has been manipulated to target him will actually mean using the tools of the US justice system to settle accounts with his enemies. And although there was no mention of the annexation of Canada or occupation of Greenlandhis declaration that America will restore the Panama Canal will upset allies and adversaries alike.
Since Trump’s return, such warnings have grown even stronger. Although he was limited in his first term by his ignorance of Washington politics and the “adults in the room” he appointed as advisers, he became an important president. It 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 rebels tried to block the transfer of power to President Joe Biden four years ago – is far more powerful this time. He commands almost total loyalty in the Republican Party, which holds majorities in both houses of Congress. His cabinet choices are defined by their loyalty to him. And not only billionaires from Silicon Valley, but also many company leaders rush to kneel before Trump. The narrow election victory is now seen as a turning point in political times.
Trump 2.0, moreover, has a detailed agenda that will lead to a major change in the way America is governed and how it relates to the rest of the world. He made clear that among the 100 or so executive orders he has already begun signing are national emergency declarations on issues including immigration and energy, giving him the authority to rush through new measures.
Trump is holding off on imposing long-awaited tariffs for now despite his campaign promises to impose a universal tax on global imports and higher rates for Canada, Mexico and China. But Trump’s confirmation that he will end Biden’s Green New Deal and that the US will withdraw from the Paris climate agreement are blows to climate action. Some of his other orders will be unprecedented, radical and legally questionable.
There are also many reasons for Americans outside the Maga base to fear for their democracy. In his farewell speech, Biden rightly warned that the marriage of enormous wealth and political influence in the new Trump circle “oligarchy. . . taking shape in America”. The fact that Trump and his wife launched memecoins to take advantage of the world’s most speculative market in the days before his inauguration is emblematic of this self-interested shift. The legal world, watchdogs and media groups need to watch carefully. Trump’s first term and its end were turbulent enough. But the checks and balances of American power will be tested as never before.