TRUMP EFFECT: THE POWER OF NOUN AND VERB

The inauguration of the 47th US president is more than a month away. Yet, for all intents and purposes, Trump is in power, calling the shots.

- SHANKKAR AIYAR

Power is not a means; it is an end... The object of power is power." Donald J Trump has imbibed George Orwell's immortal observation and embodies the idea in letter and spirit.

Mar-a-Lago, his antique-studded mansion spread over 20 acres, is a destination of political pilgrimage. The pilgrims include Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Javier Milei and Justin Trudeau. Previously, skeptical tsars such as Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Tim Cook of Apple, who paid obeisance, and Jeff Bezos of Amazon, slated to meet Trump next week, are all contributing to the inaugural.

The analogies triggered in the wake of worthies seeking his audience range from gestures last seen in 18th and 19th century royal courts or in Francis Ford Coppola's cinematic rendition of lesser dons kissing the ring of "The Godfather" to show fealty. Trump sees himself not just as the commander in chief, but as the chief diplomat, the chief trade negotiator and an arbiter of geopolitics and issues that matter.

Trump has no time for the niceties of protocol. His declarations stream on Truth Social and are re-posted on X (formerly Twitter). China is already in his crosshairs, with tariffs of 50-plus percent threatened. In recent weeks, he has threatened Mexico and Canada, members of the USCAM trade treaty, over illegal immigration and drugs. He has warned BRICS countries to not try to replace the "mighty US dollar or face 100 percent tariffs", adding for effect, "They can go find another 'sucker'!"