In the Rotunda and out of the cold, America 2.0 is inaugurated

Sceptics point out that these tech firms will increasingly need an open ear in the White House, given the litany of investigations and anti-trust lawsuits they face. In April, for instance, judges may rule that Google must sell its Chrome browser, or even its Android operating system, as a remedy against competition law violations.

On a troubling trajectory

Meanwhile, the United States' withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (framed as "taking back control over its health policies") diminishes the significance of vaccines and preventative healthcare while consolidating the health sector under the absolute control of large insurance companies and pharmaceutical giants.

Taken together with Trump's withdrawal of the US from the 2025 Paris climate agreement limited global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, these developments show a troubling trajectory, but one that has largely lost its political resonance, except among select elites and academics. 

The Democratic Party—once seen as an advocate for the marginalised and underprivileged—now seems ensnared in identity politics around gender, sexuality, and ethnicity. While these issues are important to some, many Americans roll their eyes, decrying the vocal and mainly urban rights activists as "woke". They view issues such as inflation, taxes, jobs, wars, and medical care as more pressing.

Having taken a hammering by the electorate in November, senior Democrats are now in a state of disarray, preoccupied with internal disputes and self-preservation, while demographic groups such as undocumented immigrants find they have no defenders in the House, the Senate, or the Oval Office, all of which are Republican.

Trump's brave new world

The current US president rowed back into the White House, blaming Democrats and immigrants for nearly every issue that has troubled the average American in recent years—from rising crime rates to California's wildfires. During his first term, he railed against the "mainstream media" for fact-checking him, portraying them as partial and left-leaning. 

As he enters his second term, the media landscape has changed. Right leaning platforms like The Joe Rogan Experience podcast on social media now get more viewers than traditional outlets like CNN and MSNBC. Such outlets often spout conspiracy theories, with alleged government cover-ups a constant theme. 

This reflects a transforming American social fabric, one in which it is perfectly normal for a child to want to grow up to be an influencer, a content creator, and/or a social media personality. Given the eye-watering wealth from advertising and sponsorship that such activities can attract, it is perhaps no surprise. 

This world of 'alternative facts' pushed through social media with no fact-checking from the big social media owners is the world of Donald Trump 2.0. It is a profoundly different world, one about which we still know very little. But with Democrats navel-gazing and tech titans on one knee, it is Trump's to make as he pleases.