This and This

An interesting inauguration that promises a refresh of the American Dream

There is something absurd in the way the world considers the re-entry of Donald Trump into the White House. Reviewing the ongoing commentary on various media yesterday it seemed that the outfit of Jeff Bezos’ partner Lauren Sanchez and Elon Musk’s alleged Nazi salute were the real focus of the day. And then others zeroed in on the looks on the faces of the defeated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

But watching the ceremony on Monday, my eyes actually fell on some of the supporting cast. And more in particular on Beverly Aikins and Viktor Knavs. The one a recovering drug addict from Ohio, the other a former chauffeur from Slovenia. They were there to support their children, Vice President JD Vance and first lady Melania Trump, who both now work and reside at the apex of the world’s most powerful nation. Two people representing the very things that each and every president in his own words over the years has defined and championed: opportunity for all in a country where dreams can indeed come true.

And that is language we have heard from all presidents in our lifetime, be it Obama, Reagan or now indeed Trump. With my European background it remains bewildering to hear this sort of language as our politicians in the old world never talk like this. They are more likely to give a message of what we can do to manage the status quo or stop the decline, whereas Americans actually focus on seizing the opportunity. The difference between managing the downside versus shooting for the upside. And that is the very thing that attracts immigrants and some of the more famous among them like Usha Vance, Google’s Sundar Pinchai, TikTok’s Shou Zi Chew, Tesla’s Elon Musk and yes, Viktor Knavs, graced the inauguration stage.

Trump is correct in weeding out the excesses of immigration, but it would be foolish to fully crack down on the very lifeblood that has made America so incredibly successful, in particular if you think about technology and innovation. And there are of course many more contradictions when it comes to the new president, like having the maker of the world’s most successful electric car on your team that now exhorts everyone to drill for oil and gas wherever we can. It is a unique way to position a long term energy policy to say the least. Or putting hefty tariffs on international trade while enthusiastically announcing that the new administration will curb inflation and make life affordable again.

Are these real contradictions or can we pull the Trump campaign apart and actually detect an inherent logic? Probably not and it is far more likely that we should accept that seemingly contradictory things can be true at the same time, or better: coexist simultaneously. There is this, but also this.

You should take the time to go through Trump signing all his new executive orders while casually bantering with a large press corps that was crammed into the Oval Office. We have not had a scene like this over the past four years with the reclusive and aging Biden, and it is something to be cherished as you parse and assess where the new president intends to take this world. Some of it is the standard Trump campaign language, but he is also dropping lots of cues and ideas which may somehow coalesce into a coherent policy domestically and internationally. But, they will also often clash with each other and leave us wondering as to what the real long term goals really might be. One thing is for sure, going to Mars is beyond doubt.

The focus here on the newsletter is to look at global developments and how they connect and interact and I am not going to analyze every bloody thing Trump does and says. There are others that are way better at doing this and it often leads unproductively into a rabbit hole, it is my intent to keep focusing on the news and global trends that have been unleashed over the past few decades and are shaping a new global order. And in that, Trump is now an important accelerator, whether you like him or not. We need to do this by focussing on how that will shape the world, not on the latest Oval Office tweet.

And let’s be fair, based on what we saw yesterday, America may be far from the angry isolationist empire in decline. While everyone was pulling their hair out over the tech billionaires on stage you could also opt to see an America that iterates endlessly and dynamically. We witnessed the latest iteration yesterday and from here it can go in wildly different and often contradictory directions. But that is much better than stagnation and inertia. Just ask the many immigrants that keep setting sail for America’s shores, despite the imminent threat of closing borders. Or ask Beverly Aikins who could not raise her kid but in the end was there to see him reach one of the highest offices in the land. There is this, but also that.

Photo: JD Vance takes the oath of office before Associate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. His wife Usha Vance (who was actually born in San Diego, her parents immigrated from India) and Vance’s mother, Beverly Aikins, look on.