What is really changing with Trump
In European practice it is customary to evaluate the effectiveness of a new government by evaluating the measures adopted in its first hundred days. In the United States, thanks to a more pragmatic culture and the extreme polarization imposed by the Trumpian electoral campaign which restricts the timescales of politics, the orientation of the new administration can be assessed from the first one hundred executive orders, signed the day after the inauguration on Capitol Hill. Beyond the more strictly and tragically folkloristic aspects – see the Nazi salute (yes, it is a Nazi salute) by Elon Musk, who will be put in charge of the “Department of Government Efficiency”, a brand new body whose purpose will be to make public administration more efficient, reducing costs and increasing the performance of the federal government (in short, for those who remember, the American Renato Brunetta) – Trump has in fact given rise to a series of measures that mark a decisive and contrary change Of step compared to the past Biden administration, both in domestic and foreign policy.
Trump’s profound America
In summary, it can be said that there are three types of measures. The first type is that relating to those “executive orders” which aim to scratch the belly of the most reactionary, xenophobic and displeased electorate with “woke” culture. In short, fans of the Capitol Hill attackers. In this sense, Trump has, in fact, followed through on all his most extreme electoral promises on the subject of immigration. He proclaimed a national emergency on the border with Mexico, increasing surveillance and authorizing the use of military resources to build the wall. He then banned an app that made it easier for migrants to notify their intention to enter the United States and eliminated an agency that facilitated family reunification among illegal immigrants. Furthermore, he signed decrees denying ius soli for those children born on US territory to illegal immigrants or those with temporary permission. This latest decision is already being opposed today by a Seattle judge, John Coughenour, who accepted the appeal presented by the states of Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Illinois. Apparently, Trump’s measure is against the American Constitution. To strengthen the identification of public enemy number one, namely Mexico, Trump then decided that from now on the “Gulf of Mexico” will be called the “Gulf of America” - this made Hillary Clinton laugh out loud during the Donald Trump’s inauguration speech (we will then see how many geographical atlases will take on this novelty). Even more evocatively, he effectively declared war on the Mexican Narcos – classifying them as terrorist organizations and setting the stage for possible military action across borders – much as Reagan did during the 1980s against the Colombian Narcos.
The America of the Magician
The second group of measures is for the benefit of that more typically “Maga” (Make America Great Again) electorate dedicated to the most popular conspiracies conveyed via social media (from the health sector, up to climate deniers, up to the infamous members of QAnon) . In order to combat what hardcore Trump voters call “woke ideology,” measures have been taken on gender, race and disadvantaged minorities. In the second Trump era, only two sexes will exist and all laws that conflict with this premise are effectively canceled. Just as, on Martin Luther King Day itself, all policies for the protection of diversity, equity and inclusion are abolished. He granted pardon to the protagonists of the assault on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021 – you will remember Giorgia Meloni in her lightning visit to Mar-a-Lago by Trump for the Cecilia Sala affair who had to sit through two hours of revisionist documentary, “ The Eastman Dilemma” – calling them “political persecuted”. Additionally, he signed several executive orders to investigate alleged abuses by federal agencies under the Biden administration. Finally, the death penalty was reinstated for federal crimes, expressing the desire to make executions quicker and more efficient. As for climate deniers, Trump has abolished the rules that favored the spread of electric cars, increasing hydrocarbon extraction, extending drilling offshore and in protected areas.
The new Trumpian world balance
The third group of measures – it would be more correct to say “proclamations” – concerns the redefinition of the role of the USA on the international stage, with the need to re-discuss the terms of its accession to various international treaties. On the one hand, always in line with the pro-conspiracy (anti-vax and similar) and climate denialist nature, Trump’s America exits the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Climate Agreement. In one fell swoop, the internationally shared orientation of the measures implemented during the Covid pandemic and the policies in favor of the climate and energy reconversion are effectively called into question. On the other hand, Trump immediately characterized his mandate with the re-discussion of the US trade balance, with a review of the import duties policy. To date, nothing has been decided, except a series of proclamations. This is because the USA wants to renegotiate, case by case, its tariff policy with individual countries, starting with neighboring Canada and Mexico, passing through individual European states – mind you, not with the entire European Union – and end with China. And again in relation to Chinese power, the TikTok case is interesting, with Trump using the app to redefine relations with the Dragon. If Biden had banned the Chinese app, Trump seems inclined to grant a 90-day extension regarding its ban in the US. In short, the mind goes to “ping-pong diplomacy”, which paved the way for US President Richard Nixon for his visit to China in 1972.
Stargate, US artificial intelligence
Lastly, the game relating to Artificial Intelligence, the gold of the 22nd century, remains in the background. Trump has already announced an investment plan of around 500 trillion dollars over four years, with the involvement of the three industry giants in the “Stargate” project, through a joint venture between Softbank, Oracle and OpenAI. A game that also has political repercussions within the Trump administration, with Elon Musk stigmatizing the initiative by writing on his social network “X” in reference to “OpneAI”, “They don’t have the money”. First tremors.