美国总统特朗普就职后，德国媒体公司阿克塞尔斯普林格集团旗下报导大西洋两岸政治的美国电子媒体《Politico》创刊编辑兼主编约翰·哈里斯对美国第47任总统做出了这样的评价：
第二次宣誓就职总统的特朗普，让人感觉焕然一新。这是他第一次在理性的人都无法否认一个基本事实下掌权：特朗普是他那个时代最伟大的美国人物。
特朗普似乎非常喜欢这种谄媚和奉承的判断，以至于他在1月23日达沃斯世界经济论坛上向世界领导人发表的首次演讲中以此作为开场白：
这对美国来说确实是历史性的一周。三天前，我宣誓就职，我们开始了美国的黄金时代。最近的总统选举（我）以数百万张选票获胜……。这是美国人民多年来从未有过的大规模授权。一些政治家，甚至我的一些所谓的敌人，都说这是美国129年来最重要的选举胜利。这相当不错。
我们的国家很快就会变得比以往任何时候都更强大、更富裕、更团结，整个地球将因为──我们正在做和即将做的事情而变得更加和平与繁荣。
我的政府正在以前所未有的速度采取行动，解决我们从一群完全无能的人那里继承的灾难，并解决我们国家面临的每一个危机。
履行选举承诺
目前，特朗普落实的国内优先事项与竞选期间所做的选举承诺有关。这些包括
●加强墨西哥和加拿大边境的保安措施确保美国安全；加强对外国人的筛检和驱逐；重新定义非法移民子女的出生公民权；以及制定与拜登政府相反的相关政策
●清除联邦官僚机构和深层国家的势力。对公共部门劳动力进行调整，以提高效率和生产力，并在意识形态上与特朗普的美国第一和绩效第一宣言更加一致，这包括取消多样性、公平、包容性和可及性（DEI）员工及计划
●实施新的能源、环境和气候变迁政策，旨在摆脱拜登政府同意的美国和全球气候行动；提高国内石油和天然气产量（特朗普喊出了“开足马力开采”）；并暂停向电动车、风力涡轮机和太阳能板等清洁能源项目提供补助、合约和财政激励措施。
●恢复与家庭、宗教（基督教）、传统性别意识形态，以及美国卓越和优越感所需的一切相关美国价值观。
公众对特朗普2.0之认可
目前，特朗普政府发布的少数行政命令几乎没有受到任何阻力，据民主党反对者称，这些行政命令不仅挑战了美国的政治和文化秩序，也颠覆了既定的宪法制衡体系。
基于共和党在参议院和众议院均获得多数席次；民主党群龙无首，意志消沉，混乱不堪；特朗普已成功重塑美国秩序。
重要的是，他在国内的行动得到了大多数美国人的支持。根据CBS News/YouGov 2月初进行的一项民意调查，53%的受访者认可特朗普上任第一个月所做的工作。这是特朗普两任任期内至今最高支持率。这次以及正在进行的类似民意调查结果，无疑将让特朗普和共和党有底气，按照特朗普的愿景进一步重新定义和重塑美国的政治、经济和文化格局。
无论如何，分析家从过去民调数据及民众对政策反应评估显示，一般上美国总统上任后都享有一段蜜月期。
特朗普现有的高支持率会否持续下去，以及他能否继续掌握权力来推进其民粹主义的“让美国再次伟大”计划，在很大程度上取决于美国经济表现，以及美国民众是否能从特朗普透过“美国历史上最大规模减税”以及针对与美国贸易的国家关税政策来建立一个更富裕、更繁荣的国家承诺中受益。
在同一项对特朗普高支持率的民调中，2/3的受访者表示，特朗普政府在降低物价方面没有给予足够的重视。这包括一半受访的共和党人。普通美国人面对著的不断上涨消费价格、未解决医疗和住房问题，以及基本生活需求的担忧，是无法仅靠言辞、行政命令或“前所未有的快速”关税来化解。这些问题也无法透过在美国以外寻找解决方案来应对。
特朗普对全球秩序和法治破坏
特朗普一直坚称，“关税是他字典里最美的字”。然而，美国和世界其他地区的大多数经济学家认为，这不仅是美国需要改革的错误答案。他们也认为这是一把双面刃，将提高美国人的通货膨胀率和生活成本，并对全球市场产生负面影响。特朗普本人也承认，美国人将因关税战而承受“一些痛苦”，但他强调这种痛苦是值得的，因为制造业就业机会将回流美国。
除了美国和全球经济之外，特朗普发动的关税战将对更广泛的全球秩序和法治产生影响，而这正是七国集团（G7）及美国盟友所倡导的体系，其中美国一直是其主要的推动者和维护者。美国在亚太地区的所有盟友，特别是台湾，将被迫分担“让美国再次伟大”所带来的成本和痛苦。
国际社会一直存在一种信念，即各国主要透过既定的法律框架和机构进行互动和解决争端，没有任何单一强权能够主导行动，从而促进国际关系的稳定与可预测。而这一神话的终结，或许
是特朗普总统任期内最重要的结果。
林德宜《特朗普撕毁美国与全球秩序》原文：Trump Tears Down American and Global Order
Following Trump’s inauguration, John Harris, the founding editor and editor in chief of Politico, an American digital newspaper reporting on politics on the two sides of the Atlantic owned by Axel Springer, a German news publisher and media company, had this comment on the US 47th president:
But the second occasion of Trump taking the oath of office also put him in an entirely new light. For the first time, he is holding power under circumstances in which reasonable people cannot deny a basic fact: He is the greatest American figure of his era.
Trump appears to have liked this obsequious and flattering judgement so much that it provided the lead for his opening lines in his first speech to world leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos on 23rd January:
This has been a truly historic week in the United States. Three days ago, I took the oath of office, and we began the golden age of America. The recent presidential election was won by millions of votes …. It was a massive mandate from the American people like hasn’t been seen in many years. And some of the political pundits, even some of my so-called enemies, said it was the most consequential election victory in 129 years. That’s quite nice.
Our country will soon be stronger, wealthier, and more united than ever before, and the entire planet will be more peaceful and prosperous as a result of … what we’re doing and going to do.
My administration is acting with unprecedented speed to fix the disasters we’ve inherited from a totally inept group of people and to solve every single crisis facing our country.
Fulfilling Election Promises
For now, his domestic priorities relate to electoral promises made during his campaign. They include
●Making the US safe through securing the border with Mexico and Canada; enhanced screening and deportation of aliens; redefining birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants; and related policies counter to those of the Biden administration
●Draining the swamp of the federal bureaucracy and the deep state. Targets in what is described as a purge of the public sector workforce to bring about efficiency and productivity and greater ideological alignment with Trump’s America and merit first manifesto includes the removal of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEI) employees and their programmes
●Implementation of new energy, environment and climate change policies aimed at moving away from American and global climate action agreed to by the Biden administration; the ramping up of domestic oil and gas production (Trump’s clarion call to “drill, baby drill”); and the suspension of grants, contracts, and financial incentives provided to clean energy programmes such as electric vehicles. wind turbines and solar panels
●Bringing back American values related to family, religion (Christian), traditional gender ideology and whatever is deemed necessary to restore the nation’s sense of exceptionalism and superiority
Public Approval of Trump 2.0
For now there has been little or no resistance to the small mountain of executive actions issued by Trump’s administration that, according to Democrat opponents, are not only challenging the American political and cultural order. They are also upending the established constitutional system of checks and balances.
With a Republican majority in both Senate and House of Representatives secure; and the Democrats leaderless, dispirited and in disarray; Trump has begun to successfully reshape the American order.
What is significant is that his actions on the domestic front are supported by the majority of Americans. According to a CBS News/YouGov poll conducted in early February, 53% of respondents approve of the job he is doing in his first month at office. This is the highest approval rating in Trump’s two terms in office. The results of this and similar ongoing polls will undoubtedly embolden Trump and the Republicans in further redefining and reshaping the political, economic and cultural landscape of the US according to Trump’s vision.
Analysts poring over the polling numbers and assessing public response to the policy changes have noted that US presidents enjoy a honeymoon period following their inauguration.
Whether Trump’s approval rating will continue to hold up, and he can continue with his grip on power to advance his populist MAGA programmes will depend to a large measure on the economy and whether the American public can benefit from his promises of a wealthier and more prosperous nation through “the largest Tax Cuts in the History of our country” and his tariff policy directed against every country that trades with the US.
In the same poll that provided his high approval rating, two thirds of respondents said that his administration had not focused enough on lowering prices. This included half of Republicans surveyed. The concern of ordinary Americans with rising consumer prices, unmet health and housing issues, and simply meeting everyday needs is a challenge that cannot be dispelled with rhetoric, executive orders or “unprecedented speed” tariffs. Neither can it be met through looking for solutions outside the US.
Trump’s Disruption of Global Order and Rule of Law
Trump has consistently maintained that “tariff is the most beautiful word” in his dictionary. However, most economists in the US and the rest of the world see it as not only the wrong answer for what needs reform in the US. They also regard it as a double edged sword which will raise the inflation rate and cost of living for Americans and disrupt the global market negatively. Trump himself has conceded that Americans will bear “some pain” from any tariff war but that the pain will be worth the gain in manufacturing jobs returning to the US.
Away from the US and global economy, the tariff war that Trump is unleashing will have consequences for the larger global order and rule of law that G7 and allies of the US have espoused, and which had the US as its principal proponent and upholder. All allies of the US in the Asia Pacific region, especially Taiwan, will be compelled to share the cost and pain of MAGA.
The ending of the myth that we have an international system where countries interact and resolve disputes primarily through established legal frameworks and institutions, with no single power dictating actions, fostering stability and predictability in international relations, may perhaps be the most consequential outcome of Trump’s presidency.
