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Insights from the Early Days of Trump 2.0: Approachable Yet Unreliable, Echoes of a Former Presidency | US News


The conclusion of Donald Trump’s second full day as president has arrived.

It certainly seems longer; a lot has transpired. This is what the future holds.

He assured us he would dive right in, and he delivered. It’s been challenging to determine where to direct attention and focus.

While President Biden favored shorter days, President Trump opts for days filled with unpredictability. He thrives on this; he enjoys the element of surprise.

Here are a few insights from this whirlwind week, now three days in.

Accessibility

First, let’s talk about accessibility.

Despite his apparent animosity towards the media, President Trump has granted the press significantly more access and opportunities for questioning than his predecessor ever did.

This doesn’t imply that the responses he provides are always particularly insightful, satisfactory, or truthful, but we have already witnessed two unmoderated news conferences.

No aides have been selecting reporters for questions.

It’s been Trump responding actively to the rapid-fire queries from reporters.

Last night, at the White House, he addressed many topics.

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Inside Trump’s White House

Regarding Ukraine, he mentioned he’s in touch with Zelenskyy and is open to meeting with Putin “whenever he wishes.” However, no substantial details were provided on how he plans to resolve the conflict.

On tariffs, he hinted that China and Mexico could sidestep the 25% levies on their products.

He indicated the tariffs are “because they permit the entry of fentanyl into our country.”

So, stop the fentanyl, and the tariffs go?

When discussing the release of the January 6 convicts, including the leader of the far-right Proud Boys, he suggested a place for them in the political discourse.

On Elon Musk acquiring TikTok, he remarked, “If he wanted to buy it, yes.”

He seemed to enjoy the dynamic exchange, providing an open forum for inquiry and potentially exposing himself to scrutiny.

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Fact-checking

Secondly, fact-checking is still very much essential when it comes to Trump.

On Monday, he asserted that American warships incur double tariffs to pass through the Panama Canal – which is false, and that Chinese soldiers are ‘operating’ the canal – also inaccurate.

While justifying his decision to pardon the January 6 protesters, he claimed that murderers in America go unpunished.

“They should not have served, yet they’ve spent years in prison. And murderers don’t even go to jail in this country,” he stated.

This is a grossly misleading diversion designed to shift the focus away from his decision to pardon 1500 individuals.

Different shades

The third observation highlights the already apparent different facets of Trump.

He has made deeply controversial announcements at an astonishing pace, yet interspersed with policy decisions that many might view as pragmatic and reasonable.

His investment in AI, paired with arguably minimal regulation, could potentially aid scientists in healthcare research, enhance America’s competitiveness, and invigorate the American energy sector.

Both positive and negative implications exist.

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His intentionally erratic foreign policy is already producing outcomes, such as the Gaza ceasefire, but his undefined red lines present risks of miscalculations for adversaries.

Additionally, his domestic agenda is proving to be highly controversial and possibly even unconstitutional, establishing a potentially dangerous precedent.

American dominance

The final observation is that Trump’s unpredictability, volatility, and transactional nature are producing immediate and significant repercussions.

Rather than becoming an increasingly irrelevant, declining nation, America feels – in just a few (long) days – to have regained a sense of power and dominance that has been absent for quite some time.

The necessity for nations to align with America has never been more pronounced.

Donald Trump wouldn’t have it any other way.

We now await the moment when someone decides to challenge him.



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