the the age of america is over

So, the American people has once again sent Donald Trump to the White House. By reelecting a man who has made self-centered jingoism the core of his platform, the United States has abandoned its century-old-role as an inspiring (and imposing) world leader. As a consequence, America’s influence on the global stage will diminish drastically, and probably irreversibly.

Trumps return to Pennsylvania Avenue marks the end of an era that has lasted for almost a century. After World War II, America reached the pinnacle of its might and became a genuine superpower. The dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 1990’s made the US the proverbial last man standing. And while the emergence of the European Union and the BRICS member states is changing the playing field, America has remained the global primus inter pares till this very day.

For more than 75 years, America has acted as an international military arbiter, power broker and financial steward. But its standing exceeded the vast size of its vaults and arsenals: the world happily embraced American culture and took to wearing Levi’s, guzzling Coke and watching Hollywood’s celluloid fantasies.

The US also managed to project an image of a modern Promised Land, where freedom reigned supreme. Like Superman, its best-known fictional immigrant, America claimed to fight for ‘truth, justice and the American way’. This Great American Journey has inspired millions of people around the globe to pursue liberty and justice as well.

The Anti-Superman Donald Trump’s return has put an end to all that. He is, in fact, the anti-Superman. Instead of presenting his country as a shining beacon of hope and justice, doomsayer Trump paints a bleak picture of America as a colossal mess. And instead of continuing the global fight against the enemies of democracy and freedom, he plans to focus on perceived ‘enemies from within’.

Trump has often threatened to punish those enemies when he returns to power, and these threats are not necessarily idle: during his first term, he repeatedly tried to have the government go after people like John Kerrey, Hillary Clinton, James Comey and even John Bolton. And while those efforts came to naught, Trump will double down during his second term. After all, he holds those enemies responsible for stealing the 2020 election and his ongoing legal woes. This time around, the president-elect has a far bigger axe to grind.

Obsessive navel-gazing If Trump follows through on his threats, it will undoubtedly lead to more political and social turmoil in America. His tendency to fan the flames of an already budding cultural civil war shall continue to poison society. Moreover, this obsessive American navel-gazing will unavoidably lead to neglecting pressing world matters. Trumps promise of putting ‘America First’ is actually an understatement: with him as president, it will be ‘America Only’.

This is a grave error, because even the strongest man needs friends. Trumps America doesn’t want friends, however, only lackeys. It would break the bonds with traditional allies with a shrug. These allies, often regional or global powers in their own right, will get the message. For the second time in over a decade, America proves it is no longer a reliable partner. They will seriously consider forgetting about partnerships with the US and focus on enhancing other alliances or finding new partners.

America’s ‘enemies’ will get the message, too. Dictators like Putin and Xi look forward to a second Trump presidency, because they know from experience that he is not interested in curbing their regional ambitions: he merely wants to play a game of braggadocio with them. Trump openly envies their autocratic power and persecution of criticasters, and strives to emulate that at home. China and Russia will not waste any time and aggressively try to enlarge their respective spheres of influence. Taiwan and Ukraine, to name a few, should be warned.

Truth and Justice as a Joke But there is another, more pervasive matter that will potentially diminish America’s global standing for good. By sending Trump back to the Oval Office, the US electorate has chosen to stock their echelons of power with people who treat truth and justice as a joke. The message: it is basically okay to lie, cheat, grope, threaten and forsake your friends. It’s okay to not give a damn about the consequences of your actions, and to blame others for your predicament.

As a consequence, the vaulted American Way will cease to be an global inspiration. Instead, both friend and foe will see the US an aggressive and cynical self-serving bully. In that sense, Trump has truly become the personification of this New America.

With him back at the helm, America will no longer be that shining city on the hill. Sure, you can still make a buck or two over there (assuming you can get in). But one has to look elsewhere for inspiration, help against aggressors and dependable friendships. The country is in serious danger of becoming some sort of Garden of Eden, a lost paradise that you tell your grandchildren about.

No Excuse America has brought all this on itself. In 2016, Trumps victory could be explained away as a fluke. Back then, it may have seemed interesting to give a quasi-successful businessman with no political experience a shot. Trump cleverly rode the anti-establishment wave, his boorish and blustering persona the antithesis to the pervasive political correctness inside the Beltway. And yes, he was lucky to face an opponent thoroughly distrusted by many Americans.

Eight years later, however, America has no such excuse. It already has witnessed what a Trump presidency entails. No interest whatsoever in curing the national ills he claims to see. No serious attempts to curb immigration, revive the Rust Belt or fix the country’s decrepit infrastructure.

His time in office was spent on political infighting, setting personal scores and his trademark self-aggrandizement. Meanwhile, the US thoroughly neglected its traditional role on the global stage. And the world took notice.

Just Too Darn Long The United States will pay dearly for having reelected Trump. Four years earlier, Joe Bidens first order of business was reestablishing the bonds with America’s neglected allies. Assuming Trumps successor won’t be cut from the same Trumpian cloth (and assuming Trump will not be able to repeal the 22nd Amendment), he or she will probably try to do the same thing. But after two terms of Trump, America will find that its position in the world has changed irrevocably. Twelve years of unreliability is just too darn long.

A second Trump presidency will obviously not lead to America’s demise. Its military might and still impressionable economic prowess will make sure of that. And the world will keep on eating Big Macs for a long time to come. But with Trump once again in power, its global stature will definitely diminish. Its former allies will go their own way and eventually just stop listening to what the US has to say. America’s enemies will just stop caring.

For years, Donald Trump has warned that America is on the wrong track. By handing him a second term, the American people has ironically proven him right. The United States will not perish from the earth anytime soon, but the Age of America as we know it is definitely over.