It has been an extraordinary week since Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the US. From his executive orders and unconventional partnerships to his declaration that God spared him from assassination attempts to fulfil his mission of making America great again, Mr Trump is dominating global headlines once again.
Even more remarkable is the extent to which world leaders – politicians, tech innovators, AI experts, and business moguls alike – are taking him seriously. Some do so out of fear of the consequences of challenging him, while others are betting on being a part of the potential benefits of his economic and political policies.
Either way, Mr Trump is no longer the man many dismissed as impulsive, chaotic, or irrational. Today, he is a leader making bold, independent decisions with confidence, leveraging his political savvy to implement unconventional policies. While he remains divisive at home and controversial abroad, Mr Trump has already achieved one of his key goals: commanding serious attention worldwide.
There is no need for psychologists or political scientists to understand Mr Trump’s priorities in his second term. Indeed, he has articulated them clearly, using straightforward, firm, and often harsh language. This began on his inauguration day, when he sat in the Oval Office signing executive orders with his bold signature in black ink, addressing journalists’ questions with detailed knowledge and comprehensive explanations of complex issues.
When addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, live from the White House, Mr Trump adopted a blunt tone with European nations and the financial world, and his message was unmistakably clear. Under his leadership, America’s greatness would no longer come at its own expense rather the other nations benefiting from it would be expected to shoulder the financial burden.
To business leaders, he highlighted the advantages of manufacturing and producing in America, offering tax incentives. But for those unwilling to comply, he warned of steep tariffs. His message boiled down to this: America’s greatness, and the pragmatic economic policies this demands, is what matters to him.
Without hesitation, his message was straightforward, as if it say: you are welcome as partners and investors in America, where opportunities and incentives await you. However, if you choose otherwise, that is your choice – but be aware that tariffs and restrictions on your goods will not work in your favour.
Even with allies he holds in high regard, such as Saudi Arabia – he called Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a "great man" – Mr Trump prioritised American interests, calling for lower oil prices in line with his goal of boosting the US economy; and encouraging Riyadh to increase investments in his country from $600 billion to $1 trillion, although this was framed as mutually beneficial for the two countries.
Mr Trump wants his legacy to be that of a peacemaker, as he declared in his inaugural speech, but he aims to achieve this through unorthodox methods, not traditional diplomatic norms. As a businessman, he approaches negotiations with a dealmaker’s mindset, the art of the deal, starting with maximalist demands but expecting others to eventually meet him halfway. For those unwilling to co-operate, his strategy is simple: blame them, isolate them, and impose punitive sanctions.
His approach to the Ukraine war reflects this philosophy. Free of lofty rhetoric or back room deals, Mr Trump sent a clear message to Russian President Vladimir Putin: the door for negotiation is open, but the cost of waiting would weigh heavily on Russia and her president, not on the US.
Mr Trump views financial pressure and imposed bankruptcy as a tool for deterrence but also as a means to avoid military confrontation, as exemplified by his strategy with Iran. However, he has made it clear he would not hesitate to take military action if Tehran crossed the nuclear red line or continued supporting proxy groups such as Hamas in Palestine or Hezbollah in Lebanon.
In Yemen, Mr Trump has re-designated the Houthi movement as a “foreign terrorist organisation” and imposed severe sanctions to deter attacks on US interests, regional allies and to ensure maritime security in the Red Sea. His messaging underscored Iran’s direct responsibility for the situation in the Red Sea while hinting at the roles of China and Russia in leveraging Houthi alliances to secure their own strategic interests.
Strategically, Mr Trump has no intention of entangling America in wars during his presidency as he has a genuine aversion to them. He also refuses to dedicate his energy to conflicts he deems secondary to US interests, such as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict or the emerging Syrian question. Instead, his focus lies closer home, such as on disputes with Mexico, or extends to grander ambitions, including his grand proposals involving Greenland, Panama and even Canada.
Still, Mr Trump’s vision does not necessarily lie in these lofty dreams but rather in his drive to reduce costly bureaucracy and replace it with administrative efficiency. He wants to transform the US into a more agile, resilient, and great power that is able to grow and reposition itself without being weighed down financially and materially by the cost of its dominance, as has often been the case in the past.
The new “Great America”, which seeks to maintain global peace through a modern “Pax Americana”, wants a world where other nations share the responsibility of funding their own peace.
Mr Trump plans to push Europe not only to pay its fair share within Nato but also to reform itself – eliminating excessive bureaucracy that stifles growth and addressing a chronic inefficiency when compared to the American work ethic.
Mr Trump’s vision is also futuristic through unprecedented partnerships aimed, in part, at containing China’s ambitions to dominate in technology and artificial intelligence. Indeed, part of this vision is the Stargate project, a monumental $500 billion initiative designed to build advanced AI infrastructure in the US over the next four years.
The companies leading this effort, including SoftBank and OpenAI, along with key participants such as Microsoft and Nvidia, reflect the ambition to pool expertise and resources in technology.
The project’s primary goal is to secure the US a commanding lead in the global race for artificial intelligence development – a transformation that many have described as the greatest technological shift in modern history.
Although billionaire Elon Musk has voiced criticism of Stargate, the point here is Mr Trump’s grand vision. Indeed, the project represents a critical opportunity to reinforce America’s leadership role while balancing national and international priorities.
Comparisons have been even drawn between Stargate and the New Deal, the landmark economic programmes introduced by former US president Franklin D Roosevelt in the 1930s. However, this time, the focus is technological, with artificial intelligence taking centre stage.
This is the new America under Mr Trump: a nation that inspires both anxiety and optimism among global leaders. It is the America he is poised to lead for the next four years. There is little point in trying to unravel the inner workings or to speculate about the role of the “deep state” in this vision because Mr Trump, in his own way, embodies a kind of simplicity and clarity of purpose.
