NYT: All that Trump has changed

Photo: AP

President Trump barreled back into office intent on using his second term to exercise raw political power and transform the country in his image.

It’s been four months, and he already has, ‘The New York Times’ stresses.

In a presidential opening act more aggressive and polarizing than anything the nation has seen before, Trump has set off a barrage of changes that have left hardly any aspect of American life untouched: the economy, the nation’s place in the world, its systems of gaining and building knowledge and, of course, the government itself. It’s been a shock-and-awe campaign that has surprised his allies and staunch critics alike.

It is chaotic and often hard to follow, and that’s by design. Trump and his advisers have managed to flood the zone, intentionally overwhelming political opponents who are still grasping for a message and a means with which to fight back. It can seem like only the stock market has done so with much success.

Whether you are delighted by or aghast at what the president has been up to, the shock of his first 100 days may be wearing off. (His approval numbers have slipped overall, too.) So let’s consider what we’ve learned so far.

1. Trump has upended the global order and America’s alliances. The president has openly dabbled with imperialism, suggesting the nation acquire Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal. But his impact on foreign policy goes much further. He has pursued a foreign policy based purely on power, casting longtime allies to the side in favor of muscular dealings with the likes of Russia and China. On that basis, Europe is a nuisance and even a close ally like Israel can be reduced to an afterthought.
2. He’s testing the limits of the law. The administration has repeatedly resisted court orders — including one order, endorsed by the Supreme Court, that the government take steps to return a wrongly deported man — while Trump himself has attacked judges who have ruled against him. With the Republican-controlled Congress offering little oversight and refraining from exerting its constitutional checks on his power, some legal scholars are already warning of a constitutional crisis. What’s clear is that the administration is testing the most basic principles of the separation of powers.
3. He’s exerting his influence across society. Law firms. Universities. Scientific research. Media companies. Diversity, equity and inclusion policies. Trump has used executive orders, the deportation of international students, lawsuits and funding cuts to impose his agenda on a broad swath of American institutions — many of which have given in to his demands so readily that critics are increasingly sounding the alarm about a slide toward autocracy.
4. He’s turned fear into a tool. Trump promised a surge in deportations that has not yet materialized, but his jettisoning of due-process rights for immigrants and use of unrelated government data against them have spread fear in immigrant communities, among their employers and even their children. Trump and his allies have also stoked fear of prosecution or retaliation to silence his critics inside and outside government.

5. He’s profiting from being president. Many presidents cash in after they leave office. But Trump’s businesses are openly profiting off his brand, striking deals overseas and rewarding some buyers of his family’s cryptocurrency with a private dinner and a tour of the White House. And then there’s that luxury plane from Qatar, a remarkable illustration of how this president feels unencumbered by the longstanding norm against accepting foreign gifts.

read more in our Telegram-channel https://t.me/The_International_Affairs