AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS

Unlike Emmanuel Macron, who was elected on the promise of a "Revolution"—the title of his campaign book published in November 2016, whose unfathomable emptiness the French have been able to savor for the past nine years—Donald Trump never uttered the word. And yet, the new American President has undertaken multiple simultaneous revolutions at a relentless pace since his inauguration barely a month ago. These revolutions, meticulously prepared over months and supported by dozens of legally solid executive orders, have been unveiled daily before the cameras from the very first day of his term, provoking disbelief, consternation, and even horror on both sides of the Atlantic.

For these revolutions are set to profoundly change American society and its values, the role and functioning of the federal government, and, of course, the United States' place in the world.

At 78 years old, fabulously wealthy, and astonishingly returned to power by 74 million Americans—after surviving half a dozen lawsuits aimed at politically destroying him and two assassination attempts meant to eliminate him outright—Trump is an unstoppable force. Since the July 2024 attack, he believes God has mandated him to restore America's greatness, and nothing will stand in his way. Neither Congress, under his control for at least two more years, nor judges beholden to a Supreme Court that leans in his favor, nor a press discredited by its blind allegiance to the Democratic "leftists" and, in any case, outpaced by the explosion of pro-Trump social media.

Thus emerges a three-pronged offensive led by a tight-knit team around the President.

First Revolution: A Return to Traditional Values

Domestically, the goal is to restore the moral and Christian values of the Founding Fathers. This means purging America of the poison of "wokeism" by systematically dismantling DEI programs—so-called "diversity" and "inclusion" initiatives—and reinstating the family model based on just two genders: male and female. From the Pentagon to Goldman Sachs, DEI has already been eradicated.

Second Revolution: Slashing the Federal State

Tens of thousands of government employees have been dismissed in the second revolution, aimed at cutting back the federal government—both to eliminate the "Marxist" activists who controlled the "deep state" and to drastically reduce public spending. Here, Elon Musk steps in with his chainsaw ministry, the DOGE, and his small army of hatchet men, nicknamed the "Muskrats." Their goal: to recover $3 trillion in savings—10% of the national debt.

Priority targets: USAID, already dismantled—meaning 10,000 jobs cut and $45 billion in aid slashed worldwide—education, which Trump wants to return to state control, environmental and energy agencies, and even the Pentagon, where removing thousands of regulations is expected to generate billions in savings. All of this is being carried out without congressional approval and against the courts, which have issued dozens of injunctions—ignored so far. A constitutional crisis looms.

Third Revolution: Reshaping Global Order

The third revolution shakes the entire world, from immediate neighbors Mexico and Canada to China, Europe, Panama, Gaza, the Arab world, Ukraine, and Russia. The common thread is simple: America dares everything, claims everything—from Greenland to Gaza, from tariffs to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals—whenever it serves its interests.

The world of 1945 is definitively dead, along with an America that once led the "free world" and championed a "global liberal order based on the rule of law." Trump's America will be nationalist, protectionist, revisionist, and imperialist all at once. Allies and adversaries alike will be treated with the same ruthless indifference until a "deal" is struck—one that always benefits the United States.

This is a language Vladimir Putin understands well, as he waits to settle Ukraine’s fate directly with Trump. Xi Jinping, too, will seek to navigate this new reality. But for Europeans, abandoned to their divisions and their weakness, it is sheer terror—leaving them clinging to the nostalgia of a vanished world…

Pierre Lellouche – 02/13/2025
Tribune VA