Donald Trump’s first 100 days back in the Oval Office have upended all universal understanding. The global trade order has been turned on its head. Due process has morphed from a right to a vibe. Capital letters have been torn out of style guides and set loose in the wild west of social media. ‘We don’t have a Free and Fair “Press” in this Country anymore’, the President shared on his Truth Social account, setting the tone for this week of reflection and analysis. Why are so many of those words capitalised? Why bother asking. It’s not supposed to make all that much sense. That is the President’s preferred political climate: a little chaotic, a little confusing, utterly exhausting.
Europe saw the President blink and banded together in preparation to retaliate
This is, of course, deliberate on the administration’s part. The less we can say for certain, the more Team Trump can claim some kind of 4D chess is taking place.