World News: A Francophile’s View of the First 100 Days

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Category: World News - Europe

Published on Tuesday, 29 April 2025 10:11

Written by Olivier Longhi

The first 100 days of Donald Trump's presidency have given rise to an unprecedented political spectacle. Between announcements, about-faces, bravado and humiliation, the President of the United States plunged the world into uncertainty and left many unanswered questions.

Between sensational announcements that are likely to shake the world, with about-faces that are as spectacular as they are unexpected, without mentioning the avalanche of bad taste of all kinds, the first 100 days of Donald Trump's presidency do not leave us without comment.

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Because if it were only a matter of bad taste, some, resigned and jaded, would tolerate it, but the story does not end there, driven by a one-upmanship of decisions deemed totally disconnected from reality, such as, for example, the most symptomatic, that of customs duties. Although subject to a moratorium that will be lifted in July, these remain a subject of question for many economies and for the global economy in general.

After having undermined the multilateralism that had prevailed since the end of the Second World War, a multilateralism to which the United States has largely contributed, Donald Trump has plunged the planet into a form of anguish and anxiety that he seems to be enjoying a lot.

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Responsibilities

Anxious, or not, to satisfy his electorate who are beginning to turn away and tire of his policies that are more based on repeated bravado than on an established and thoughtful logic of government, Donald Trump gives the impression of playing with his presidency like a child with his rattle, ignoring the consequences that could result from it, including for his own country.

After shaking up the world stock markets, sending Europeans back to their responsibilities in terms of defense policy (something that Barack Obama had begun to mention during his first term), holding China high, imagining displacing the Gazan populations to transform the Gaza Strip into a Middle Eastern Riviera, humiliating Volodymyr Zelensky without managing to tame Vladimir Putin's ambitions,  the President of the United States offers a record that questions as much as it frightens and this barely 100 days after his inauguration last January.

The President of the world's leading economic power therefore has four years left to shine with his foresight or to compromise himself in decisions, each one more questionable than the last.

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Measure and Impetuosity

The Trump version I had surprised the world, the Trump version II frightens and worries it. And for good reason! The question then arises is whether to adapt to the new Trumpian situation or to develop an arsenal of measures aimed at countering those already taken by the former real estate mogul?

Objectively, adapting or developing new measures ultimately amounts to the same thing; the implementation of an opposition policy is also a form of adaptation. However, it is also the question of the economic and financial cost that arises implicitly. Will Europe, Asia and Africa, the latter of the most exposed, have the means and the capacity to oppose Donald Trump's impetuosity and unpredictability?

In the end, and on closer inspection, the Trump presidency turns out to be a succession of questions. For the time being, without any real answers...

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Bio: Olivier Longhi has extensive experience in European history. A seasoned journalist with fifteen years of experience, he is currently a professor of history and geography in the Toulouse region of France. He has held a variety of publishing positions, including Head of Agency and Chief of Publishing. A journalist and recognized blogger, editor, and editorial project manager, he has trained and managed editorial teams, worked as a journalist for various local radio stations, was a press and publishing consultant, and was a communications consultant.