In year one of Donald Trump’s second presidency long-standing US commitments to democracy, global relationships and realignments are being reshaped, and economics and politics turned on their head. They argued that an ageing president would, in his second term, be gentler, less abrasive and less revolutionary. In Gaza, where the October ceasefire was greeted by Trump as one of his main achievements, the death toll continues to rise. The NSS strategy depicts Europe as facing “civilizational erasure” at the hands of immigrants and its leaders. Trump has made 2025 his own, reshaping not only the US, but the global order, undoing a vital post-War consensus based on democratic values, multilateralism and the rule of law.

Source: The Irish Times December 26, 2025 06:02 UTC