Trump's triumph and the revival of America's creed

The meaning of Donald Trump's return to the White House is that America is beginning to confront the jagged question of our time can the West remain "the West"?

- Rahul Sagar

The triumphant return of Donald Trump brings to mind the saying that "once is an accident, twice is a pattern". But what is the pattern to notice here? To the losing side, the outcome reveals only the faults of others — apparently, Trump won by appealing to the worst instincts of the American people. But if the American people really are "garbage", as President Biden put it, then why did they vote for the Democrats for much of the past two decades? The conclusive nature of Trump's victory indicates a broader "vibe shift". His ranks are swelling because of a pervasive sentiment that something has gone deeply wrong in America. The fundamental worry is that public authority is not being used as it should — to maintain personal liberty and uphold public order.

Liberty is a cherished human value because free thought, voluntary association, and private enterprise allow human beings to take responsibility for their lives. Hence, we only want the authorities to interfere with our freedoms when there is wide consensus that this is necessary. But consider some of the more controversial ways that Democrats have recently employed public authority. In California, for instance, the law empowers teachers to keep from parents a child's decision to change their "gender identity".