The assertive governing style of the 47th president of the United States — giving his opponents no chance to catch their breath — manifested itself on his first day with a machine-gun burst of executive orders (prepared in advance by his aides).
Ousted from power after a single term, the vengeful ex-president wasted no time in rescinding 78 of Joe Biden’s orders and memoranda and firing 1,000 of Biden’s appointees. In addition, as promised, he pardoned and released those indicted in the January 6, 2021, «storming of the Capitol» who had protested the highly likely irregularities in the absentee balloting that ensured the Democratic victory.
Along with this emphatic but unsurprising annulment of Joe Biden’s decisions, Trump announced his return to the captain’s bridge with an ultimatum to Russia. Referring to Vladimir Putin in the third person, the reinstated White House occupant declared: «He’s got to make a deal. I think he’s destroying Russia by not making a deal».
Beginning his statement with the phrase «I respect Russia and the Russian people», Trump then adopted the language of demands: if Moscow refuses to end the armed conflict, the United States will impose «new taxes and sanctions».
The contours of what Trump, in his businessman’s way, calls a «deal» have already been drawn: they focus on a cease-fire, but do not establish conditions for a long-term peace. Meanwhile, at a meeting with members of the Security Council, Vladimir Putin reiterated: «The most important thing here is to eliminate the causes of the crisis, which we have mentioned many times — this is paramount». Trump and his entourage cannot be unaware of Moscow’s core position.
Commenting on the threat of a new round of financial and economic warfare, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted, «We don’t see anything new here. You know that in the first iteration of his presidency, Trump resorted to sanctions more often than anyone else».
It appears that Trump was simply playing out a maneuver on an issue he has repeatedly raised, fully aware of how it would end.
What’s the prognosis? Serious negotiations are inevitable. But given the nature of Anglo-Saxon psychology (the West is just as afraid of losing face as the East), these negotiations will initially take place behind closed doors — tough and pragmatic. There is no alternative.
Trump correctly understood that voters wanted him to scale back the kind of foreign policy «missionizing» at which the Democrats had excelled. Immediately after his inauguration, the official White House bulletin (Briefings & Statements) listed just four «priorities» for the 47th president — demonstrating that Trump’s main focus is on putting America’s house in order and reassuring at least half the population that remains chronically angry about the neoliberal dogmas and financial woes foisted on society.
At the top of the list is the slogan «Make America Safe Again». Trump will resume construction of the wall on the Mexican border, end the practice of granting asylum to illegal migrants, and tighten controls on foreigners entering the country. Military personnel from the regular Army and National Guard will assist border agents. Notably, the document makes no mention of plans to deport uninvited foreigners.
A systematic campaign to destroy the drug cartels will also begin; these organizations will now be equated with terrorist groups, allowing the use of the Alien Enemies Act of July 6, 1798 against them. The primary target is «Tren de Aragua», a criminal syndicate that originated in Venezuela and has rapidly evolved into a diversified transnational criminal enterprise.
Second on the list is the promise to make energy «affordable again», thereby making the United States a «dominant» force in global energy markets and ending what Trump calls Biden’s «climate extremism». To that end, America will withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Taken together, these actions will «put an end to the leasing of large wind farms that degrade our natural landscapes and cannot meet the needs of American energy consumers». The «green agenda» will thus be shelved, while fossil fuels — oil and natural gas — will reclaim their role as the second lifeblood of the economy (after money). Trump plans to revitalize the economy through reindustrialization.
Third on Trump’s to-do list is «Drain the Swamp», meaning a purge of the government apparatus to «end the flood of costly DEI activists» (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion).
In the America that considers itself «law-abiding and God-fearing», there is a growing awareness of how the prophets of DEI might undermine core values. Under DEI’s dictates, «gender fluidity» will become an advantage in hiring for government positions, and candidates will be judged not on their skills and experience but on the color of their skin (as long as it is not white) and their membership in a sexual minority or one of 72 recognized genders.
This section also vows to end «unconstitutional censorship», a direct warning to the mainstream, predominantly neoliberal press that has been tarnishing Trump’s image since the 2015 primary season. The intention is clear: the victorious Republican team wants to prevent the media from being used as a «weapon against political opponents».
Fourth, the manifesto pledges to «return to American values», which can be succinctly explained as banning transgender men from participating in women’s sports. More significantly, it calls for «properly honoring our nation’s history», effectively nullifying Democrats’ efforts to use Critical Race Theory (dating back to the 1960s) as a rationale for debunking the origins of U.S. statehood and, in particular, the Founding Fathers — historically viewed as proponents of a united society.
Notably, there is no mention of foreign policy plans in this statement — except for a succinct formula: «The U.S. Department of State will conduct foreign policy under the motto ‘America First’».
According to insider information obtained by the British newspaper Daily Mail, the State Department will be subject to a sweeping overhaul. The top management is being purged: all deputy secretaries of state and all diplomats of any significance are being dismissed.
Exiting after three decades of service is former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt — who, along with former Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, acted like a colonial official in occupied territory right after the Maidan uprising, openly discussing who they would install as president and prime minister in the Kiev regime.
Many senior officials involved in shaping policy on the «Ukrainian issue» have also been relieved of their duties — some of them, with decidedly non-altruistic motives, pandering to the demands of lobbyists for the Kiev junta. Overall, these personnel changes may create a more favorable environment for finding compromise solutions to end the military conflict in Ukraine, where the United States is operating through NATO.