by Malek Dudakov
[REGNUM] The year 2025 marks a turning point for the United States. The transition of power and Donald Trump's return to the White House has led to the launch of a second attempt at organizing a nationwide MAGA project.
However, it is quite difficult to overcome the inertia of the state system and public sentiment.
| It’s not inertia that need be overcome, but intentional obstacle and opposition. |
| At an accelerating pace if the Republicans can hold or increase their numbers in legislatures and executive offices at all levels. If not, then it will all depend on the Trump team. |
True, no one knows when this mythical age existed.
Rather, it combines some features of the early 20th century, say, protectionism and the Monroe Doctrine, the mid-20th century with its economic boom, as well as the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, the end of the Cold War and Trump's personal successes.
Unlike his first, Trump entered his second term with an existing team of loyalists. Almost all cabinet positions were confirmed fairly easily in the Senate.
However, problems immediately arose in the work of the new administration.
The first major scandal erupted in February–March 2025—the so-called "Signalgate"—due to leaks in a closed chat room about military operations against the Houthis. Ultimately, it cost Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, his career.
| He’s been our man at the UN since September, a position that needs a strong mind backed by knowledge, perspective, and steady good sense. A bit of charm would not go amiss, but is less necessary. |
| Certainly many feared it was on the brink of crisis for that reason. Many turned out to be wrong, as it happens. |
The White House was forced to back down, then resume trade war efforts throughout the summer and adjust policy again.
| *shrug* That’s the Trump approach to most things. |
| A great many companies made their pile because of political connections instead of solid products and sound financing. That is the sort that do worst when economic conditions go even a little wonky. |
All year, Trump has been meeting with leaders of other countries and pleading with them to invest hundreds of billions, even trillions, of dollars into the American economy.
The figures were literally drawn out of thin air, and the actual investment volumes attracted are estimated at only a few billion dollars. Most of this investment is going to the data center market, which is popping up in the US like mushrooms after rain.
The artificial intelligence industry has become the main driver of US economic growth in 2025. The market bubble now threatens to have very serious consequences if it bursts in the next few years.
At the same time, data centers have dramatically increased the load on aging power grids, the average age of which reaches 70 years. And electricity prices in many states have hit record highs.
Americans are generally skeptical about the impact of Trump's initial economic reforms, including the passage of the "one big, beautiful bill," which became the first and, so far, only legislative victory of the current Republican administration. But the primary criticism is directed at the tariffs being introduced.
During his first year in office, Trump's approval ratings fell from an average of 50-52% to 38-40%.
The consequence of his shrinking electoral base was a revival of the Democratic Party after its 2024 defeat. In the recent local elections, Democratic candidates won almost everywhere: in Virginia, New Jersey, and even Miami, Florida.
The New York elections, won by Zohran Mamdani, a socialist and Muslim of Indian descent, caused a sensation. He represents the growing left wing of the Democratic Party, which is attempting to become a trendsetter in politics.
Democrats remain divided – along ideological lines (left and center), territorial and clan-based, and so on. However, there is one common idea that unites them: the need to fight Trump.
And right now, this kind of "counterfeit" game allows opponents of the current administration to begin creating a host of problems for the Republicans. The situation for the latter will only worsen in 2026.
Nevertheless, the White House is succeeding in changing the way the government operates. Since Trump's second term, the new team has been able to fire several hundred thousand officials.
Purges have been launched within the intelligence agencies and the Pentagon, although the campaign to reduce bureaucracy has been inconsistent due to divisions within Trump's team and Elon Musk's departure from government service.
And the icing on the cake was the publication of the new US National Security Strategy, which is already upending the consensus on American foreign policy.
For the first time, Washington's official strategy proposes restoring relations with Russia while simultaneously increasing pressure on Europe and reorienting resources toward Latin America and Asia.
The weakening of the US position, which can no longer single-handedly control all major global processes, is de facto acknowledged. It is forced to select the highest priorities and work on them.
Two phases of Trump's trade war with China ended in fiasco for the United States, forcing the White House to establish a temporary truce in relations with Beijing. However, Washington remains committed to the logic of competition with China.
The situation around Taiwan remains tense amid new arms deliveries from the United States and retaliatory exercises by the Chinese military.
And the trade disputes haven't been resolved; they've only been temporarily pushed aside. China has refused to buy liquefied natural gas and soybeans from the US and has limited supplies of rare earth metals, putting American industry on the brink of disaster.
Trump was forced to make significant concessions, soften tariff pressure, and allow the supply of advanced chips to China, effectively lifting the sanctions imposed under Joe Biden. This had never happened before in modern US history.
Throughout the year, the endless back-and-forth over Ukraine continued. Deadline after deadline was missed, and negotiations with Kyiv were proceeding at a rocky pace.
The episode of the altercation involving Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office in February 2025 will be included in the history books.
Since then, Kyiv has signed the long-forgotten rare earth deal and has tried unsuccessfully to win Trump over. But by the end of the year, military and financial aid deliveries had dwindled to a bare minimum.
For Russia, 2025 marks the third attempt in the last quarter century to reset relations with the United States.
The first occurred at the beginning of George W. Bush's presidency, when Russia and America drew closer after the 9/11 attacks. The second occurred under Barack Obama.
Now everything comes down to the unresolved Ukrainian crisis and the unwillingness of the European "war party" to adapt to Trump's agenda.
But there were still breakthroughs, from the first negotiations in the Middle East to the presidential summit in Anchorage.
Similar fluctuations are observed in Europe.
Back in February, at the Munich Conference, US Vice President J.D. Vance announced the start of an ideological crusade against Europe's liberal elites.
Since then, the right has won the Czech Republic elections and the Polish presidential race. But in Romania, Trump's team has been unable to significantly influence the outcome.
Next year will be revealing in this regard.
| Next year always is. |
The only question is which way the pendulum will swing.
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