America has spoken — and emphatically. The history of its democracy is studded with “hinge” elections where voters decisively repudiate the philosophy and record of the outgoing administration and opt for something new. Every now and then, however, there is a result that goes far further and presages inordinate and tumultuous consequences not just for the nation but the world. The 2024 presidential election is one of these.
In voting Donald Trump back into the White House the electorate appears to have concluded that his record as a convicted felon, his unpredictability and his reputation for disdaining the norms of democracy matter less to them than his crisp “America First” prescriptions on the economy, national security and the world. Many of his policies may sound glib, hubristic if not foolhardy to his opponents. Indeed many of them are.
Yet unlike in his first term when Trump took office without a clear plan and was hemmed in by seasoned public servants, this time he knows exactly what he wants to do. He will also be flanked by true believers. For the global economy, America’s allies and the post-1945 international order, this poses huge risks — and, possibly, a calamity.