We have not seen the foundations of international relations crumble, the spirit of international law undermined, and concepts such as state sovereignty and national self-determination so blatantly disregarded, since the 1990s.

 

That is the state of play just days after US President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

 

The scenario, which seems hardly believable, continues to shock politicians, journalists and even the business and economic communities daily - even though they are now very familiar with Trump’s nature and temperament.

 

Of course, many had expected him to put his controversial slogans into action, in light of what he did during his first term. This image was further reinforced by the way he addressed his loss in the November 2020 election, when, unlike Vice President Mike Pence, Trump refused to recognize the results and openly incited his supporters to storm the Capitol.

 

Yes, many expected this, but certainly not everyone.

 

Because some of these slogans went so far in their populism, no sensible person could hesitate to see them as mere rhetoric meant to rally the base during the electoral campaign, but not necessarily anything more. What has actually happened is striking and alarming.

 

Trump won with both an Electoral College and a "popular" majority last November. In 2016, he secured only the Electoral College (304 Electoral College votes to 227), but Clinton received over 65.85 million votes, while Trump garnered fewer than 63 million.

 

Last fall, Trump successfully also led his Republican Party to victory in both chambers of Congress, thereby consolidating his grip on the legislative branch as he reclaimed the White House, the seat of the executive branch. Conservative right-wing justices continue to dominate - some whom Trump appointed during his first term - the US Supreme Court, the pinnacle of the country’s judicial branch!

 

Thus, the Trump phenomenon leads not only the Republican Party, after sidelining its historically moderate figures, but also cemented its dominance over the party’s base in rural areas, suburbs and among the working and lower-middle classes, many of whom had shifted to the right during the Reagan era.

 

At the same time, the outline of an alliance between Trump and major figures in both traditional and new media, especially elite billionaires, has quickly materialized. As right-wing outlets like Fox News escalated their war against the Democrats, the billionaire Elon Musk made the first move, acquiring Twitter and turning it into X, claiming to seek to curb "restrictions on free speech." This followed Twitter’s earlier decision to block Trump’s baseless campaigns and push back against his baseless accusations.

 

It wasn’t long before other media and social media moguls joined in, strongly backing Trump’s campaign alongside Musk. Among them was Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Meta (which owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and others), as well as the owners of reputable newspapers traditionally known for their liberal leanings, most notably The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times.

 

As a result, Donald Trump now feels that he not only controls all three branches of government - executive, legislative and judicial - but also has the impression that he controls the media landscape and public opinion. He is utterly convinced of his own infallibility, believing that his intuition is never wrong and that he does not need to revise his convictions, consult anyone or compromise.

 

We are, then, facing unprecedented and unconstrained "corruption of power." He recognizes no rights for any other party, disregards the opinions of allies or partners, has no regard for institutions, treaties, alliances, or conventions and does not even distinguish between friend and foe.

 

The most immediate and alarming implication of this corruption of power is that Trump is using it to serve impulsive or make deals. That is Trump’s political mindset and how he operates, rather than furthering a well-thought-out, long-term strategic vision for strengthening alliances or managing conflicts.

 

With his short-sighted deal-making defining US politics, the lines between enemy and ally are blurred. The political guardrails that are meant to safeguard consensus and prevent disastrous miscalculations are becoming increasingly wobbly.

 

Barring unexpected surprises, this situation is likely to persist - at least until early November 2026, when the US will hold midterm elections and all House representatives and one-third of the Senate will be up for re-election.

 

In principle, America will have its first real opportunity to save itself from itself in November 2026. By extension, it will also be its first chance to ease global tensions and contain crises and save whatever remains salvageable... unless it is already too late by then.