Trump Tests the American Attitude to Pain

It's not just bread and circuses any more.

- Gillian Tett

Two millennia ago, the Roman poet Decimus Junius Juvenalis ("Juvenal") decried the political phenomenon of "bread and circuses".

Back in AD 100, the Roman Empire was crushed by so much debt and income inequality (sound familiar?) that its emperors tried to placate a restive public with free "bread" (that is, short-term bribes) and gladiatorial contests or "circuses".

The idea was to distract them while ignoring the need for structural reform. Is this happening again?

Two months ago, it seemed so. Washington's recent leaders, like the Roman emperors, have also been negligent about tackling structural problems, such as America's US$36 trillion (S$47.8 trillion) debt. And Mr Donald Trump campaigned to become the 47th president - or modern-day emperor - on a "bread and circuses" platform.

Most notably, he promised to cut taxes, smash inflation and create new jobs, all while delivering endlessly distracting entertainment. And, as writer Naomi Klein has noted, his performative political style seems to be borrowed from the World Wrestling Entertainment network he was once involved with - a 21st-century gladiatorial arena.

But today's tariff fights are turning that "bread and circuses" platform into something more akin to "jam tomorrow".

Yes, the White House is still offering distracting drama, along with gifts for voters: a package of tax cuts, putative US$5,000 (S$6,750) "Doge dividend cheques", and this week's pledge to revive the coal sector, which matters to Mr Trump's base.