Our fight, it is no exaggeration to say, is the civilized world’s fight. It is a fight for reason and comity in the affairs of nations, against an administration whose worldview, and behaviour, is increasingly that of an aggressive dictatorship, in all its crudeness and its thuggery.
Mr. Trump, as the Prime Minister has said, aims to “break us,” a phrase with historic echoes. He has to now, or others will follow our lead. If he succeeds, then the world will be governed by nothing but force in the end, in trade as in other matters. But if we prevail, then “broad and sunlit uplands” must surely await.
My theory: In the leadup to the 2024 election, Trump got invited to the Republican debates, and he was basically like “fuck no, I’m not debating those losers, I’m obviously the Republican candidate,” and in doing so made it true. This is the kind of charisma he has; he’s simple and egotistical and it appeals to other simple, egotistical people. He refuses to follow rules and that appeals to other rulebreakers.