Performing president

Donald Trump is back on stage with a bang. His inaugural address aimed at fashioning a new America – and he has his tasks cut out with clarity and precision. Every sentence he spoke formed a policy statement. Not for him the ‘blah-bhah’ that leaders of Third World countries excel in on such prime occasions. Yet, the bombasts and assertions of Making America Great and America First were there for effect; and of ‘reclaiming’ the sovereignty, ‘restoration’ of safety and ‘balancing’ of the scales of justice. His promise was also to create an America that’s greater, stronger and more exceptional; a nation “proud, prosperous and free.”
Matching with his image as a performer, Trump started his innings this time on a high note, signing several executive orders in the first hour of his presidency. While eyebrows might be raised over the US pullout from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, his inauguration as the 47th president meant a season of significant changes for the United States. His new resolve to perform differently overwhelmed his first innings as the 45th president from 2016 until 2020. He’s set to turn the US into a manufacturing nation from being a consumer base that drew products from all over the world, and more prominently from China. In fact, China was at the centre of his decisions on WHO — his argument being that China is paying much less for its upkeep than the US — and the decision to “take back” Panama Canal, which the US struggled to erect and then handed over to Panama, which however “gave it to China” for operational requirements. He also put China on notice with a threat to ban the money-spinning TikTok and alternatively seek a share in its profits. Trump’s instant declaration of a national emergency on two counts aimed at ensuring the future security of the US – one on the Mexico border to check illegal immigration and the other being a national energy emergency to expand oil and gas drilling operations. His declaration to send troops to the southern border to discipline Mexico demonstrated a sense of urgency. Under Trump, in the next four years, censorship would end and freedom of speech restored. America, he asserted, will be a free nation.
The seriousness that a president attaches to his term in office, as exhibited by Trump, should be an example to leaders of nations like India. That he turned into action mode in the first hour itself with a vision for the future of his nation is markedly different from the monumental drag that is evident in governmental performances. Notably, Trump’s vision for the future was also reflected in his decision to set up a department to ensure governmental efficiency. Finally, his promise to the wider world is that his legacy would be that of a peace-maker and unifier.