There has been no year in US history quite like the first of Donald Trump’s second term. Though Trump warned Americans that he would be their “retribution”, he offered little idea of the scale on which he would seek to monetise his office. In one form or another, he did vow to take on the universities, regulatory agencies, the rest of the world on trade and the media. That he acted so rapidly, if haphazardly, on all these fronts in 2025 is nevertheless striking. That he encountered such little resistance is even more so. As we enter 2026, those who still believe in America’s checks and balances should bear in mind he is only a quarter of the way through. The battle to preserve the US system will only intensify.
在美国历史上，没有哪一年能与唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)第二任期的第一年相提并论。尽管特朗普曾警告美国人，他将成为他们的“报复”，但他几乎没有说明自己会在多大程度上把公职货币化。无论以何种方式，他确实誓言要对大学、监管机构、在贸易问题上的世界其他国家，以及媒体发起攻势。尽管如此，2025年他在这些战线上行动之迅速——哪怕杂乱无章——仍令人震惊；更令人震惊的是，他遭遇的阻力竟如此之小。随着我们进入2026年，那些仍然相信美国制衡体系的人应当铭记：他才走过四分之一。捍卫美国体制的战斗只会愈演愈烈。