Donald Trump's tenure as a leader, both in business and politics, has sparked heated debates about the nature of leadership itself. Despite breaking almost every conventional rule about what makes a good leader, Trump rose to hold the most powerful leadership position in the world: the presidency of the United States.
Leadership experts have long emphasised traits such as empathy, humility, collaboration, and servant leadership. However, Trump's style, characterised by self-promotion, deflection of blame, and a combative approach, challenges these norms. This contradiction raises important questions: Have the experts misunderstood what people truly value in leaders, or does Trump's ascent reflect a shift in societal expectations?
How is it that half of America looks at Donald Trump and doesn't find him morally repellent? Some even see him as heroic, admirable, and wonderful. What has brought about this state of moral numbness?
Donald Trump's return to the White House in 2025 marked a stunning political comeback, pushing an aggressive Make America Great Again policy from trade to international relations. While he has shaped the events of a turbulent 2025, this year may prove harder to manage for Trump as the midterm elections approach.
For Europeans, that is one factor to watch after a difficult year in which the future of the transatlantic relationship came under scrutiny. Trump continues to paint a bleak picture of the EU, describing it as declining, drowning in illegal migration, losing its identity, a victim of poor economic policy and too much regulation. Meanwhile, the EU recognises that the fundamental nature of the relation could be changing forever, but the extent and speed could be determined by the midterms.
A series of recent polls shows Trump's popularity, even among his MAGA base, is receding. Key demographic groups, like Hispanic voters, which proved instrumental in his victory, are no longer as supportive, largely due to his hardline policies on migration and concerns sparked by heavy-handed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
So, how should the EU deal with him from now on? One way could be to watch Trump's actual power diminish over the new year and wait for his time in office to end. The American electorate is deeply insecure and could move away from Trump in his second term. The question is whether it is structural or just a passing phenomenon.
While Trump remains a believer in his political invincibility and unorthodox policies, historical reality might soon be setting in.
From tariffs to migration, from inflation to healthcare, from bashing Europe to knocking down parts of the White House, the majority of Americans feel unease about Trump's attempts at reshaping US politics according to his own views. Latest polling shows many Americans have begun to blame Trump for high prices of everything from food to housing, and that it's beginning to shift political sentiment.
Almost half, 46 per cent, say the cost of living in the US is the worst in memory, a view shared by 37 per cent of 2024 Trump voters, according to a poll by Public First from mid-November. The poll also shows 46 per cent of respondents believe those high prices are Trump's responsibility.
But Trump stubbornly insists that there is no problem, that prices have actually come down, sticking to his almost messianic belief that the economy will take off next year.
The affordability crisis is part of an overall economic picture that has become volatile over the past year. Unemployment hit 4.6% in November, a number not seen since the depths of the Covid pandemic. The economy has actually lost 60,000 manufacturing jobs, factory construction is down at least 5%, and inflation has gone up 3%.
In elections over the past year, Republican candidates experienced an eye-popping drubbing across the board, even losing the race for mayor of Miami to a Democrat for the first time in nearly 30 years by a 19-point margin.
But no other race encapsulated the current mood of the country better than the special election for Republican stronghold Tennessee's 7th seat in the House of Representatives in early December, a district that Trump carried by more than 22 points a year ago. This time, the Republican margin narrowed to just 8 points, signalling a massive swing of voter preference towards the Democrats by double digits in a year. To add to the complications, the Republican candidate in Tennessee had the firm backing of Trump, which shows even his seal of approval may not be enough to win.
Sensing the political winds shifting, some Republicans are now feeling emboldened to push back against certain aspects of the Trump agenda or against Trump himself. Last December, Congress passed a bipartisan bill to bolster Europe's defence, openly challenging Trump's foreign policy strategy.
Furthermore, some Republicans publicly criticised Trump's vile remarks following the murder of Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife, which were criticised for their insensitive tone.
Yet Trump might be able to turn things around by focusing more aggressively on issues that can quiet the discontent rather than foreign policy.
Donald Trump was elected president again because, in the broadest possible sense, voters were unhappy with the direction of the country and wanted a change. The question now is whether what has been happening across the USA reflects the change they wanted.
Dr. Mark Said