DIPLOMACY
Triumphant Trump returns to White House, launching new era of upheaval
Donald Trump will be sworn in as U.S. president on Monday, ushering in another turbulent four-year term with promises to push the limits of executive power, deport millions of immigrants, secure retribution against his political enemies and transform the role of the U.S. on the world stage.
Trump’s inauguration completes a triumphant comeback for a political disruptor who survived two impeachment trials, a felony conviction, two assassination attempts and an indictment for attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss.
That promise is among a flurry of executive actions concerning immigration, energy and tariffs that Trump intends to sign as soon as Monday after taking the oath of office. At a campaign-style rally on Sunday in Washington, Trump vowed to impose harsh immigration restrictions on his first day.
As he did in 2017, Trump enters office as a chaotic and disruptive force, vowing to remake the federal government and expressing deep skepticism about the U.S.-led alliances that have shaped post-World War Two global politics.
The former president returns to Washington emboldened after winning the national popular vote over Vice President Kamala Harris by more than 2 million votes thanks to a groundswell of voter frustration over persistent inflation, though he still fell just short of a 50% majority. In 2016, Trump won the Electoral College – and the presidency – despite receiving nearly 3 million fewer votes than Hillary Clinton.
Jeremi Suri, a presidential historian at the University of Texas at Austin, compared the present era to the late 19th century, when Grover Cleveland became the only other president to win non-consecutive terms. Like now, he said, that was a time of upheaval, as industrial advances transformed the economy, wealth inequality exploded and the proportion of immigrant Americans reached a historical peak.
“What we’re really talking about is a fundamentally different economy, a fundamentally different country in terms of its racial and gender and social makeup, and we are as a country struggling to figure out what that means,” he said. “It’s an existential moment.”
Trump will enjoy Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress that have been almost entirely purged of any intra-party dissenters. His advisers have outlined plans to replace nonpartisan bureaucrats with hand-picked loyalists.
Even before taking office, Trump established a rival power center in the weeks after his election victory, meeting world leaders and causing consternation by musing aloud about seizing the Panama Canal, taking control of NATO ally Denmark’s territory of Greenland and imposing tariffs on the biggest U.S. trading partners.
His influence has already been felt in the Israel-Hamas announcement last week of a ceasefire deal. Trump, whose envoy joined the negotiations in Qatar, had warned of “hell to pay” if Hamas did not release its hostages before the inauguration.
Trump claimed during the campaign he would end the Russia-Ukraine war on his first day, but his advisers have acknowledged any peace deal will take months.
Unlike in 2017, when he filled many top jobs with institutionalists, Trump has prioritized fealty over experience in nominating a bevy of controversial cabinet picks, some of whom are outspoken critics of the agencies they have been tapped to lead.
He also has the backing of the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, who spent more than $250 million to help get Trump elected. Other billionaire tech leaders who have sought to curry favor with the incoming administration, such as Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai and Apple’s Tim Cook, will join Musk in attending Monday’s ceremony, according to Reuters and other media.
Trump said on Sunday he will travel to California on Friday to visit fire-ravaged Los Angeles County.
‘AMERICAN CARNAGE’
The inauguration will proceed amid heavy security after a campaign highlighted by an increase in political violence that included two assassination attempts against Trump, including one in which a bullet grazed his ear.
Federal authorities are also on alert after the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, when investigators say a U.S. Army veteran inspired by the Islamic State drove a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers, killing 14. Last week, the FBI warned of potential copycat attacks.
Eight years ago, Trump delivered a bleak inaugural address vowing to end the “American carnage” of what he said were crime-ridden cities and soft borders, a departure from the tone of optimism most newly elected presidents have adopted.
Foreign governments will be scrutinizing the tenor of Trump’s speech on Monday after he waged a campaign laced with inflammatory rhetoric.
The traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue past the White House will now take place indoors at the Capital One Arena, where Trump held his victory rally on Sunday. Trump will also attend three inaugural balls in the evening.
Amid the pageantry of the day, Trump will begin signing the first of what could be dozens of executive orders.
Some actions will begin tightening immigration rules by seeking to classify drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations” and declare an emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, among other moves, a source familiar with the planning said. Other orders may aim to scrap Biden’s environmental regulations and withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, sources have said.
Many of the executive orders are likely to face legal challenges.
Trump will be the first felon to occupy the White House after a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records to cover up hush money paid to a porn star. He escaped punishment at his sentencing, in part because the judge acknowledged the impossibility of imposing penalties on a soon-to-be president.
Winning the election also rid Trump of two federal indictments – for plotting to overturn the 2020 election and for retaining classified documents – thanks to a Justice Department policy that presidents cannot be prosecuted while in office.
In a report released last week, Special Counsel Jack Smith said he had gathered enough evidence to convict Trump in the election case if Trump had reached trial.
-Reuters
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Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad, Nasser Bourita, has reaffirmed that the security and stability of Gulf Arab states are inseparable from Morocco’s own national security.
Speaking during an extraordinary ministerial meeting of the League of Arab States held on Sunday to discuss Iran’s attacks on Arab states, Bourita stressed that Morocco views any threat to Gulf countries as a direct threat to itself.
“What harms you harms us, and what affects us affects you,” Bourita said, reiterating Morocco’s long-standing commitment to the security of Gulf nations.
The meeting, attended remotely by the Moroccan minister, was convened to address what participants described as Iran’s aggression against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Arab countries.
Bourita noted that Morocco’s position reflects the policy consistently articulated by King Mohammed VI, who has repeatedly emphasised solidarity with Gulf partners. He revealed that the Moroccan monarch recently held telephone conversations with leaders of Gulf states to express Morocco’s support for their sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.
The minister also recalled the king’s remarks during the Moroccan-Gulf Summit on April 20, 2016, where Mohammed VI declared that defending shared security among Arab nations is “not only a common duty but an indivisible one.”
During the emergency session, Bourita strongly condemned what he described as “brutal Iranian attacks” on Arab countries, calling them a blatant violation of their sovereignty and a serious threat to regional stability. Morocco, he said, stands in full solidarity with the affected states and supports any legitimate measures they deem necessary to safeguard their citizens and territories.
He further accused the Iranian regime of pursuing destabilizing policies across the region, alleging that Tehran seeks to create and support militias and groups loyal to it in order to undermine the stability and interests of neighboring countries.
Bourita urged Arab nations to strengthen unity and collective action through the League of Arab States as the most effective means of protecting regional security and safeguarding national sovereignty.
Concluding his remarks, the Moroccan foreign minister called for a unified Arab stance against actions that threaten regional stability and demanded the immediate cessation of Iranian attacks, saying such a move would open the door for diplomacy, dialogue and de-escalation in the region.
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Mohammed VI has reaffirmed Morocco’s “full support and solidarity” with several Arab Gulf states following what he described as “blatant attacks” on their sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In a statement issued Saturday by the Royal Cabinet, the Moroccan monarch disclosed that he held separate telephone conversations with key Gulf leaders, including Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates; Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa; Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia; and Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
According to the Royal Cabinet, King Mohammed VI strongly condemned the attacks targeting the sovereignty of the “brotherly states” and reiterated Morocco’s readiness to stand by them in any legitimate measures they consider necessary to safeguard their security and ensure the safety of their citizens.
The statement underscored the “deep fraternal ties and enduring solidarity” binding Morocco to the Gulf nations, stressing that the security and stability of the Arab Gulf region are inseparable from Morocco’s own national security.
“Any infringement upon their integrity constitutes a serious and unacceptable aggression and a direct threat to regional stability,” the statement read.
Morocco has long maintained close political, economic and security ties with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, with cooperation spanning investment, energy, defence and diplomatic coordination on regional issues.
Saturday’s high-level consultations signal Rabat’s intention to reinforce those alliances at a time of heightened regional tensions, while affirming its position that threats to Gulf states are viewed as threats to broader Arab and regional stability.
The Royal Cabinet did not provide further details on the nature of the attacks referenced in the conversations, but the statement reflects Morocco’s consistent diplomatic posture of collective Arab solidarity in times of crisis.
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On High Royal Instructions from Mohammed VI, the Moroccan government has rolled out a major aid and support programme valued at approximately $328 million (MAD 3 billion) to assist communities affected by exceptionally severe weather conditions over the past two months.
The extreme weather, which particularly impacted the Gharb plain and Loukkos regions, caused widespread flooding and large-scale displacement across several provinces.
According to a press release from the Office of the Head of Government, His Majesty, mindful of safeguarding citizens’ safety and improving their living conditions, directed authorities to implement an urgent and comprehensive response plan, alongside the necessary regulatory measures required in such circumstances.
In line with these instructions, the Head of Government issued a decree declaring the weather conditions a catastrophic event. The most affected communes in the provinces of Larache, Kénitra, Sidi Kacem and Sidi Slimane have officially been designated disaster areas.
The aid and support programme, equivalent to roughly $328 million, was designed following an in-depth field assessment and a detailed evaluation of the economic and social repercussions of the disaster.
The breakdown of the package includes:
- $85 million (MAD 775 million) for rehousing affected families, compensating for loss of income, rehabilitating damaged homes and small businesses, and reconstructing collapsed houses.
- $25 million (MAD 225 million) in in-kind assistance and reinforced emergency interventions to meet immediate and essential needs.
- $33 million (MAD 300 million) in targeted support for farmers and livestock breeders.
- $186 million (MAD 1.7 billion) allocated for the rehabilitation of roads, hydro-agricultural infrastructure and basic public service networks.
The statement further emphasised that the King has instructed the government to ensure the programme is executed in an exemplary, swift and responsible manner, enabling affected citizens to return to normal living conditions as quickly as possible.
Official figures indicate that the severe weather caused flooding across more than 110,000 hectares of land and displaced nearly 188,000 people in the four affected provinces.
The large-scale intervention underscores Morocco’s commitment to rapid recovery and long-term reconstruction following one of the most significant weather-related disruptions in recent years.
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