Donald Trump was sworn in and took office. His speech confirmed his domestic enemies’ fears and in the meantime confirmed Russia’s hopes for a turning-point towards a better relationship between the two countries, after the awful administration of Barack Obama.
It is an unprecedented transition by all accounts. It shows that the America that the 45th President is referring to is no longer the America that used to be for most of the 20th century.
“Make America great again” — the only one actually meaningful motto during Trump’s electoral campaign – has shown that about half of today’s Americans no longer believe that US is as great as it once was.
This is the starting point of a consideration yet to be done, in the United Stated as well as in the rest of the world, starting from Europe. The consequence of this result will have enormous repercussions in all directions. A big political bomb is about to explode. An earthquake is in progress and it will shake the West first.
Two points are worthy of note about the inauguration speech. First, he directly addressed the country and the anxieties of the people. Billionaire Trump, at the head of an industrial, commercial and financial empire made of 111 corporations, talked to the common people coming from the “deep America” (which are unknown to the neoliberal and democratic ruling class of the past few years). He used a new populist rhetoric focused on the comeback against the elite.
“You will be forgotten no longer”, said the new president.
We will see.
The other striking point in the speech is the lack of messianic tones along with the celebration of the leadership of the empire. European allies remained in the background, they were not even mentioned. And moreover not a word was said about foreign enemies. Both allies and enemies seem not to be among the new leader’s priorities. Trump does not trust the former, he despises them, and this is going to cause great concern for the European counterparts that bowed to Obama and to his policies.
They will have to align again: with whom? They do not know yet. Some are getting ready to turn coat, used as they are to obey. Others are still uncertain about what to do, as they are friends of Trump’s enemies. As such, they hold hopes for forcing him to leave office before the end of his mandate.
One seems to have been delisted from the ranks of external enemies: Putin’s Russia. But it is not the case of China, which appears to remain an enemy at least for strategic reasons. The dialogue with Russia and the lifting of sanctions will bring about substantial changes in the international landscape. Under these new circumstances it is unlikely that one of NATO Dr. Strangeloves – whether American or not – could arise the concept of “Russia as an existential threat” for the United States. However, right because they think so, they will have to bite their tongues.
By looking at Obama, Biden and Hillary Clinton’s frozen faces it was clear that the losers did not give up. Trump’s declaration of war at the inauguration day directly addressed them. Nothing will stop them and they will try to overthrow him in any possible way.
