It is an odd feature of America’s political system that the drawn-out handover of power from one ruler to his successor takes place over the Christmas holidays: the liminal moment when the waning year gives birth to its successor, a …
The New Orleans killer was an all-American loser
There is much that remains murky about Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who rammed his truck into New Year’s Eve revellers in New Orleans, murdering 15 of them. But we do know this much: He was Texan-born and -raised, an Army veteran who …
MAGA’s divisions can’t be healed
Even before his return to the Oval Office, the coalition that allowed Trump to win the election is fracturing. It is still too early to tell just how serious the rift caused by the H-1B visa row really is. But …
Why Trump won’t end the war in Ukraine
The imminent return of Donald Trump to the White House has dramatically reframed the discussion about the Ukraine war. After years of insisting on a Ukrainian military victory at any cost, the Western political and media establishment appears to be …
The MAGA battle over foreign workers
Cognizant, a tech firm in New Jersey, routinely obtains over 5,000 H-1B work visas a year, which it uses to bring foreign workers over to manage IT and cyber security projects. It’s a business strategy that has turned the company …
Jimmy Carter: the Sunday-school president
Poor old Jimmy Carter. The most decent man ever to be President of the United States, yet with an irrevocable air of haplessness. His admirers, quite rightly — and with an earnestness that emulates their hero — celebrate his four-decade-long …
How Trump crushed Obama’s legacy
It was long past midnight in Livingston, Montana, when Donald Trump finally stood up to address the nation as President-elect of the United States, having won the landslide victory that had eluded him in his successful run in 2016 and …
Donald Trump’s cultural renaissance
It is certainly possible to hope that the inauguration of Donald J. Trump will be greeted by a resurgence of the American spirit, from new inventions to a revival of entrepreneurial drive and the renewal of American industry and crafts. …
Is Bernie Sanders going MAGA?
Bernie Sanders has been anything but quiet in the weeks since the Democrats’ defeat on 5 November, issuing stinging criticisms of the party with which he is only functionally affiliated as an independent. But recent days have seen even more …
Here comes the anti-woke economy
PublicSquare, America’s finest anti-woke online marketplace, is spreading the Christmas cheer. It’s been hocking “Right to Bare Arms Christmas Ornaments” and, in the spirit of good will towards men, a kid-sized, ride-on Toyota Land Cruiser in combat colours — as …
Luigi Mangione is America’s Everyman
The assassination of a prominent figure in America always ends up being a riddle on the order of the enigma the Sphinx poses to Oedipus: “What creature walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three …
Trump’s intellectuals will betray his base
Trump is back, as garish and triumphant as ever. But this time, and far more than his victory in 2016, he comes with friends. I don’t just mean the Hegseths and Lutnicks of the world — I mean intellectual backers, …
Why we want regal overlords
Big statues, fanfares, fancy costumes and military parades: we Brits don’t do that stuff. Since 1945, Europeans have considered it all in very poor taste. The kind of leaders who go in for it are tyrants like the late Muammar …
Emmanuel Macron is no de Gaulle
With France facing its worst political crisis since 1968, most of its citizens know exactly whom to blame: President Emmanuel Macron, whose tumbling approval levels hit just 23% even before the no-confidence vote that toppled his latest government. Across the …
What is Melania Trump thinking?
Behind the feline eyes, the serrated cheekbones and campy glamour, there is a hint of pain to Melania Trump. She displays a vulnerability, a sense of betrayal and a frustration at being misunderstood. She has described herself as “the most …