Trump is no longer a populist, nationalist aberration in a long line of post-World War II presidents who operated on similar assumptions about America’s role in the world. His victory in November, making him only the second president to win two non-consecutive terms, makes him a historically significant figure — regardless of what happens over the next four years.
On a cold day that forced him to move his inauguration as the 47th president indoors, Trump is planning a flurry of sweeping executive orders on issues including immigration, energy production, transgender athletes and pardoning those convicted of the Jan. 6 attacks. The show of force has set the tone for his second term, which will be based on his authoritarian persona and vision of an all-powerful presidency. But before taking office, outgoing President Joe Biden himself used extraordinary executive power that reflected a moment of national uncertainty, granting preliminary pardons to public servants who might be targets of Trump’s vows to retaliate against his opponents.
The list includes Mark Milley, former top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, and members of Congress and staff who served on the committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. The pardons, which Biden stressed do not imply guilt, also extended to police officers who testified before the investigative panel.
Trump prepared for his second inauguration with a victory rally in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, which ended with a spectacle that would have astonished generations of presidents, dancing to the Village People and their 1970s hit “YMCA” — his political anthem. His informal approach underscored how the former real estate mogul, tabloid figure and reality TV star has become a cultural figure among his millions of admirers. That MAGA (Make America Great Again) magic is also rooted in Trump’s resilience — having survived two assassination attempts, two impeachments, four criminal charges and a conviction. His return to power, using the same democratic process he tried to destroy to keep him out of office after the 2020 election, makes his comeback one of the most surprising in American history. This is also a dark warning about how a president with imperialist tendencies can use power.
Trump is no longer a populist, nationalist aberration in a long line of post-World War II presidents who operated with similar assumptions about America’s role in the world. His victory in November, making him only the second president to win two non-consecutive terms, makes him a historically significant figure — regardless of what happens over the next four years.
And Trump scored two major victories before he even took office. First, three hostages were released in Israel by Hamas on Sunday as part of a ceasefire deal in Gaza that is being attributed to his imminent arrival in office. Second, Trump, at least for now, rescued TikTok, which was temporarily shut down to comply with a federal ban imposed over fears that the social media site could be manipulated by China. Each of these achievements demonstrated Trump’s ability to combine leadership with a sense of spectacle and his penchant for personal and improvisational use of presidential power. Since winning the November election, he has changed the political dynamics at home and on the global stage.
However, in both the case of TikTok and the Middle East, Trump’s initial “victories” on Sunday will soon be replaced by much more complex negotiations and decisions that will require deep presidential commitment and long-term strategic wisdom – qualities he did not always offer during his first term.