This Month
Trump’s ‘beautiful’ trade war will leave an ugly scar
The diplomatic cost of the US president’s tariffs will be enduring. Countries will look to do the serious deals with each other and bypass America in future.
Vale Gwen Robinson, intrepid journalist who could tame huge egos
The Asia expert was known for her network of contacts, bold reporting and extraordinary kindness to young journalists and anyone needing help.
March
The only question now is how Trump gets rid of Musk
Having given the billionaire more power than any private figure in US history, the president is watching his benefactor turn into an albatross.
February
I once said Trump was no fascist. I may have been wrong
The first thing aspiring totalitarians do is conduct a purge of the military, so that loyalists can be installed. This is exactly what the US president is doing.
Why Musk’s waste cutting is all about making money
The world’s richest man is taking a torch to the American state on behalf of Donald Trump, but also to remove impediments to his business interests.
Why Trump and Musk are set to trample all over the courts
The judiciary poses the ultimate test of whether the president will break the system as the pair set about slashing government spending and cutting staff.
January
Trump’s Dr Strangelove playbook is working (for now)
The president revels in his unpredictability, but over time he risks sowing distrust in America’s good faith.
Why nothing can stop Trump now
Very little stands in the way of the president’s goal of remaking America as he ploughs ahead with signing executive orders.
Trump promises peace – and war
The president’s speech this time carried far more specific actions, including territorial aggression on America’s neighbours and US troops on the Mexican border.
Musk is at war with America’s allies, quiet on its enemies
The Trump administration’s antipathy towards European liberal democracy is real. The eastern side of the Atlantic alliance thus faces a journey without maps.
December 2024
Why Musk has hit payday even before Trump takes office
The Tesla chief executive and other super-wealthy entrepreneurs could benefit from deregulation with the new president, but some are already reaping rewards.
Biden (not Trump) has weakened America’s rule of law
In pardoning his son, the president has ensured that the distance between himself and Trump is now shrouded in fog.
November 2024
Trump’s demolition of the US state
You measure a leader by his actions not by his heart. To judge from what Trump has done within a fortnight of winning the presidency, his path is destruction.
How Trump is guaranteed to get his pound of flesh
The president-elect has promised vengeance against perceived enemies – legions of Trumpians are ready to carry out his wishes.
October 2024
Harris is done as America doesn’t care about Trump’s fascism
The Democratic candidate is correct that the republic is in danger, but that message may not be enough to prevent the former president from returning to the White House.
America has lost its shame at this election as scandals mount
Reality is now running ahead of fiction in this political era, according to the executive producer of a sitcom about a flagrantly unprincipled vice president.
Why the US election is a likely dead heat between sworn enemies
In a country divided into mutually hostile camps, no easy resolution to the polarisation seems likely after the November poll.
Hurricane Musk could prove Trump’s greatest asset
It does not matter whether he is driven by pique or by his thirst for tax cuts. The Tesla chief executive and X owner is a powerful ally.
September 2024
Kamala Harris has the measure of Donald Trump
By any objective measure, the vice president won the debate – even some Fox News pundits called it a bad night for her rival. Voters, however, might not agree.
August 2024
Harris’ refusal to answer questions is only hurting herself
The Democratic presidential nominee’s reluctance to do media interviews will not help sell her to undecided voters before the November election.