Breathe
By Sofía Guadarrama Collado
In five days, Donald Trump will be sworn in as president of the United States for the second time, but this one will be different. Trump is not the same guy who lost in 2020. He's not nearly the ignoramus who got balled up by the coronavirus pandemic. He had four years to lick his wounds, to rise from the ashes, like the Phoenix Bird and worse, to become radicalized.
To the misfortune of the world's citizens, there is no room for the lukewarm in world geopolitics. Yes, the word sounds horrendous but it is not. It is worse to be far-right or radical left, but most voters don't seem to get it. I mean: they don't want half measures anymore, unfortunately. Many voters want easy solutions and magnanimous promises. They are not interested in going to the complex or studying reality. They look for the good, the nice and the cheap. "Either I adore you or I detest you".
Joe Biden was a lukewarm president, which, if you look at it as a function of government, is good, even if it sometimes seems bad. Joe Biden was a man of results. A desk executive. He was never a populist. And for that reason alone, his popularity deteriorated.
Forty years ago, Biden would have been viewed differently. But with social media, the way people view their leaders has completely changed. They want their president to be repeating every day the good things he does for them, even if he doesn't do them or even if they are not really good, like building an airport or a train they will never use.
Many Americans did not appreciate Joe Biden's major accomplishments, such as the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package to address the COVID-19 crisis; vaccinating 100 million Americans in his first 100 days; rejoining the U.S. in the Paris Agreement on climate change; granting clemency to a record number of prisoners and commuting several death sentences; banning offshore oil drilling supporting Ukraine; implementing measures to address racial justice and equity; supporting small businesses and unemployment benefits; reforming the healthcare system to expand medical coverage; implementing policies to reduce carbon emissions and promote clean energy; and reforming the education system, making it more accessible and affordable. They did not even take into account that during his mandate the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the United States had a significant growth: 2021, 5.7%; 2022, 2.9%; 2023, 2.5% and 2024 3.1%. And that during his presidency, approximately 17 million jobs were created.
In the United States it is not customary to invite the presidents of other countries to the inauguration, called Inauguration Day or Inauguration of the president of the United States.
However, Donald Trump has broken the rules and invited Javier Milei, president of Argentina, Giorgia Meloni, prime minister of Italy, Nayib Bukele, president of El Salvador, Daniel Noboa, president of Ecuador, Viktor Orbán, prime minister of Hungary and the delegation of the Vox party of Spain, all of them far-right. Something must be cooking.
*Sofía Guadarrama Collado, prolific author and scholar of Mexican history for 24 years. Her exceptional narrative instinct, as well as her conspicuous perception of the world, have positioned her as one of the best-selling Mexican writers at the national level.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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