Early Signs Suggest Trump 2.0 Will Bring Chaos Back
AFP/APP
Washington: Donald Trump still has a month until he assumes the US presidency, but he is already demonstrating his unparalleled ability to create confusion and dominate headlines.
Recent remarks belittling Canada, intimidating the media, and derailing a budget deal in Congress signal what may lie ahead.
“We’re going to see more chaos in Trump’s second term than his first,” said Todd Belt, a political science professor at George Washington University. “This week is a good indication of what is to come.” Belt further noted that a Supreme Court ruling granting presidents sweeping immunity for official acts could give Trump “more opportunity to act on his worst impulses.”
Meanwhile, the Republican leader has overshadowed outgoing President Joe Biden, who has largely stepped away from the spotlight during his final weeks in office.
On Monday, Trump held his first press conference since his November 5 election victory. Speaking for over an hour, he addressed various topics while basking in the media’s attention. “Everyone wants to be my friend,” he remarked, referencing the recent visits of billionaire tech CEOs and other leaders to his Florida residence.
Trump also took the opportunity to criticize the press, stating his intent to “straighten out” the media—an approach his team has pursued through lawsuits that some observers and rights groups fear signal escalating censorship tactics.
Throughout the press conference, Trump displayed his characteristic penchant for delivering vague and sometimes contradictory messages. For instance, while voicing support for the polio vaccine, he reignited doubts about a long-debunked link between vaccines and autism. Citing a rise in autism cases, he commented,# “There’s something wrong. And we’re going to try finding that,” despite experts attributing the increase to improved diagnostic criteria, heightened awareness, and better screening.
Trump’s first term was marked by dramatic announcements, abrupt dismissals, policy reversals, and diplomatic turmoil. Decision-makers and analysts faced a recurring dilemma: take Trump’s statements at face value or disregard them altogether? This conundrum persists.
For example, on Wednesday, Trump teased Canada, suggesting it would be “a great idea” for the country to become the 51st US state. Such remarks continue to create confusion for journalists, diplomats, politicians, and financial players.
Jerome Powell, head of the US central bank, encapsulated the uncertainty, stating, “We just don’t know very much about the actual policy. We don’t know what will be tariffed, from what countries, for how long, in what size. We don’t know whether there’ll be retaliatory tariffs.”
This week, the Federal Reserve raised its inflation forecasts and slowed the pace of rate cuts for the coming year, prompting a stock market slump.
As Trump prepares for a second term, the potential for turbulence looms larger with the involvement of another unpredictable figure: Elon Musk, the world’s richest man. The SpaceX and Tesla CEO has shown interest in influencing political discussions, recently participating in Congressional budget debates.
Walter Isaacson, in his authorized biography of Musk, describes the entrepreneur’s approach to building rockets: “Take risks. Learn by blowing things up. Revise. Repeat.” This mantra could aptly describe the anticipated political dynamic of Trump 2.0.
