With all its spectacle and chaos, Donald Trump’s shock and awe strategy is both domestic and global. Domestically, Trump and his agents are targeting the American government and the country’s democratic norms, institutions, the rule of law, civil society, the Constitution, overall well-being and sense of normalcy. Trump is ruling as the country’s first elected autocrat; he is quickly acquiring much more corrupt power over all aspects of American life. The Germans have a word for this: “Gleichschaltung.”
Internationally, Trump is embracing a type of militant nationalism whereby the United States is abandoning long-standing alliances and the rules-based international order. This pivot includes enacting a historic global tariff regime and a fundamental reassessment of free trade and globalization.
