The sky is clear, the path is unimpeded, and the resistance is weak. His team is ready to act in the first few minutes with a flurry of presidential decrees. As Donald Trump returns to the White House on Monday, January 20, the contrast with the start of his first term is striking. It is also a measure of the political feat the billionaire has accomplished. He has managed to regain power despite his role in the attempted coup d'état after his defeat in 2020.

Back in January 2017, Trump moved with an uncertain step, discovering the federal apparatus and its complex workings, assembling a team in an improvised and incoherent manner. This time, however, the president-elect experienced a transition period unlike any other. While Joe Biden became inaudible and almost invisible, Trump established himself as the embodiment of the nation. There is only one president at a time, goes the political adage. Yet it seemed amended when the billionaire traveled to Paris for the reopening of Notre Dame, engaging in discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Or when he publicly initiated a standoff with Mexico and Canada over tariffs, or with Panama over the management of the canal.

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