A Transient Presidency: Trump’s Short-Lived Second Term

Bill Scher argues that Trump’s second term moved quickly to redefine the presidency through sweeping executive actions, tariffs, and aggressive foreign policy, but most changes are reversible and do not constitute lasting legacies. A future administration could roll back tariffs, rebuild a gutted federal bureaucracy, and restore a rules-based liberal international order, though restoring public trust and attracting durable civil service talent will be challenging. The piece also advocates reviving a Kennedy-era ethos of public service to renew government legitimacy after Trump.