Naturally, I expected the sentiment to fade, yet here I am, a week after the US president transformed the White House lawn into a less-than-stellar car dealership, still feeling… optimistic. I know, it’s unexpected. But strangely enough, my optimism seems to grow a bit more with each passing day—sometimes significantly so. Not for America, which continues to elect him, but for the broader world. It would take a heart of stone for governments in cities from Beijing to Delhi to Warsaw to see footage of this elderly gentleman promoting his friend’s electric vehicles and not think: “Oh dear, that’s dire. Still, it bodes well for us!”
In China, they’ve ironically dubbed Trump “the nation builder,” signifying that he’s doing an astonishingly significant job of strengthening the Chinese nation. Not to cast aspersions on that ancient golf enthusiast clutching a piece of paper filled with car sales talking points and babbling “everything is computer”… but can this individual even manage an oligarchy? He’s certainly steering his beloved stock market, beleaguered, towards the nearest restroom.
As for Trump’s brilliant ally Elon Musk, Tesla’s stock price has plummeted by half in the last three months, with the FT reporting today that hedge fund short sellers have profited $16.2 billion betting against it. Just last week, a JP Morgan note aimed to contextualize their bleakly downgraded expectations for the company: “We struggle to find any precedent in the automotive industry where a brand has lost so much value so quickly.” Sure, I’ll trust their expertise. However, I can’t help but recall something akin from the social media sector. Last year, entrepreneur and professor Scott Galloway remarked on X since Musk’s acquisition: “No company above $1 billion in revenue has ever lost 60% of its revenue within a 12-month span in peacetime. I don’t believe that’s ever happened. Twitter is quite literally the worst-performing business in history following a change in ownership.”
Admittedly, it’s clear that X was a political endeavor for Musk, so perhaps this was a strategic draining of value. It certainly granted him a keyboard army, albeit one that doesn’t seem to have much else to do all day besides grovel anonymously at his feet. Indeed, for daring to share this article on X, I anticipate a slew of rape and death threats from Maga supporters who are now, akin to some cowboy-booted modern version of the unfortunate East Germans, being told to purchase a specific kind of vehicle. Even worse, it’s one of the electric variety, which until very recently they were officially supposed to dismiss as “soyboymobiles.” So yes, I get it: enforced ideological shifts are quite upsetting. And in any event, I consistently threaten violence online when I find myself winning an argument.
In the weeks following the initiation of the Trump administration, the speed at which it was dismantling, pruning, or abandoning issues initially felt disorienting, frightening—even tragic. And it remains so for many Americans. However, from outside the US, another perspective emerges: it has expedited many years, possibly decades, of various factions from around the globe hesitating while pondering, “Should we pull it together? But how would we do that? We ought to get it together…” Thanks to the Nation Builder™, everyone is now being forced to get it together—quickly. Defense is undoubtedly the most challenging concern, and suggesting otherwise would be a level of sarcasm that even this column couldn’t reach. But it’s not impossible, mainly because it must be done. Meanwhile, setting aside the various moral considerations, where will the financial currents truly flow? Towards nations like the one constructing factories capable of producing batteries that recharge a car in five minutes (sorry, Elon) and are so expansive you need to fly over them—or towards the one whose leader has converted the seat of power into a car dealership?
Sometimes, you don’t need to dive deep into every economic and geopolitical detail to sense macro trends at a gut level. Honestly, all that the spectacle on the White House lawn lacked was one of those flailing inflatable tube men to either entice or terrify potential customers. I felt a similar notion yesterday while watching the White House press secretary portray herself as one of those countless modern individuals who have only encountered one historical conflict (World War II) and who don’t even grasp that properly. Yesterday, Karoline Leavitt was there declaring: “It’s solely due to the United States of America that the French aren’t speaking German right now.” How charming! Taking a broader view of history, I believe America owed France a favor long before it was reversed. However, getting entangled in such foolish historical disputes isn’t typically something that winners engage in, is it? Anyone addressing the superpower podium should at least project the impression of having more pressing matters to handle.
Locally, I have no clue if the UK will be one of the nations that Trump inadvertently helps to build. Based on recent trends, and given our proven knack for making poor choices and electing ineffective or downright dreadful leaders, you wouldn’t want to invest too heavily in that outcome. Yet opportunities in a world that America has chosen to destabilize are clearly emerging. I can’t shake the feeling that fortune favors those who are cheerfully moving forward rather than mournfully pushing cars in their own backyard.
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