In four short years from now, the presidency of Donald J. Trump will be over. The country will end up being changed in ways that we cannot foresee.
It is possible that the rich will be richer, the poor will be poorer, federal lands will be ravaged, the environment made less healthy, people’s rights to body autonomy and to civil protest further restricted, and the power of the states strengthened while the collective power of the federal government is diminished.
It is also possible that we will look back on the second term of Donald J. Trump and conclude that, on the whole, he made things better for the people, made the country stronger, and regained the international respect for the United States that was lost during the past four years.
The cabinet and other high-level appointments that President-elect Trump has been making are rich in fealty and unconventional thinking, but lacking in gravatas and necessary experience. Some good may come of this, but choosing so many ideologically motivated and unqualified people will probably prove to be counterproductive.
President-elect Trump received 50% of the popular vote. This is no mandate, no overwhelming victory, no divine blessing by God. Half of the country voted for someone else. Of course, this fact really does not matter in the slightest as the Republicans will control all three branches of the Federal government. The Republicans believe that they have a mandate because they say they have a mandate, and they will try to act as if they have a mandate.
As these things go, the Republicans could very well do enough stupid things in the next two years that they will lose either the Senate or the House, or even both, in the 2026 elections. Many of the changes to government programs being proposed will be extremely disruptive and may harm a lot of people.
However, this loss of Republican control presumes that the Democrats rediscover their roots as the party of the working people, the poor and the middle class, and stop their obsession with woke extremism.
For the record, the definition of wokeness is to be sensitive to social issues and conditions.
Nowhere in the definition of wokeness is there a requirement to address historical social injustices by penalizing some groups of people, and then rewarding others. Although this is termed equity, the true definition of equity is being fair and impartial in the way people are treated, and not the current, bastardized definition that is just the opposite.
Nor is there a dictate in the definition of wokeness to mainstream every new way of thinking no matter how illogical it may be, or how much it contradicts what most people believe and feel. Wokeness should be humanizing and affirmative, not threatening and divisive. Wokeness can and should coexist with common sense.
Regardless of the developments over the next four years, the most important development will be to determine how this country responds to the new world order, and this has nothing to do with Trump or wokeness.
The time of U.S. dominance is over. The United States can no longer unilaterally keep the world peace through military might and economic power. The economic and military development of China, and the aggressive nature of China’s actions globally, has changed everything.
China has a population four times the size of the United States. This means four times the workers, four times the commercial and industrial output. In addition, China has a unified government and a population conditioned to act in accordance with its government’s directives.
The lack of manufacturing capacity and expertise in the United States is pervasive throughout the economy. Our unwillingness to hold our corporations accountable to the interests of our country has allowed these corporations to eliminate domestic production in favor of less expensive production in other countries. Until recently, this meant China. The resulting increase in corporate profits has benefited very few, but the resulting damage to our economy has had a negative effect on many.
It will be a humbling experience for the United States over the next decade as China becomes the dominant world power. It does not matter what the Republicans or the Democrats say or do, we are the underdog in this geopolitical battle for influence and prestige and control.
The longer we indulge ourselves with partisan bickering, deep-fried Oreos, and all the other mind-numbing cultural and political nonsense that occupies our collective, limited attention span, the worse our situation becomes. The United States needs a come-to-Jesus meeting, a head-snapping slap in the face, an ice-cold shower – something that wakes us up and underscores the gravity of the moment. This is the truth to the people speech that a true leader would give.
Unfortunately, it is clear that President-elect Trump does not have a grasp on the true nature of the ongoing shift in geopolitical power. This is a profound and historic change, but Donald J. Trump is not exactly a student of history or military strategy.
According to AI, China’s history is a rich tapestry of dynasties, cultural achievements and philosophies that spans thousands of years. In this regard, China has much to offer the world.
However, a new Chinese dynasty is emerging, one that has nothing to do with culture and philosophy. Like all other dynasties and empires of the past – Chinese, Mongolian, Persian, Ottoman, Egyptian, Roman, British, American – this new Chinese dynasty is destined to overreach and overpower, creating resentment among those it has decided to dominate and control.
Like all other dynasties and empires of the past, this new Chinese dynasty will eventually fail. History has shown that no empire lasts forever. Until that happens, however, many innocent people will suffer, and many will die, if the Chinese dynasty pursues its current path of aggression, domination, and subrogation.
In contrast, the American empire was created by necessity, not by purposeful intent, and in this regard is unique among all previous empires.
Right now, the world is focused on the negative aspects of the American empire – the innocent people killed, and the ignorant treatment of other cultures displayed in the course of trying to create a more peaceful world.
However, the overwhelming history of the American empire is something much more positive. The American empire championed freedom, trade, peace, and prosperity for all of the world’s people. For the most part, nothing that the American empire did was intended to enrich itself.
History will reflect the sacrifices made by the United States as it opened its markets to the world, gave trillions of dollars in foreign aid to developing countries, and sacrificed tens of thousands of its people in the course of its peace-keeping efforts.
This is the history of the American empire that must be told now, the history of the empire that brought hope to the world.
What will the new Chinese dynasty bring to the world? If President-elect Trump can cause the world to reflect on this question and what it bodes for its collective future, then there may still be a chance to convince China to moderate its aggression and instead use its resources, creativity, and energy to assist in addressing the world’s collective challenges.
This would be a Donald J. Trump legacy worth remembering.