EXAMINING TRUMP’S “GOLDEN AGE” OF AMERICA

 

Donald Trump began his inaugural address in January with the promise that, “The golden age of America begins right now.”  At his address to the nation in March, he confidently proclaimed, “The golden age of America has only just begun.” According to POLITICO, Trump has used the term at least once a week since taking office, and “golden age” frequently appears in White House press releases. The Trump profit machine has ensured that “Golden Age of America” merchandise is for sale online. 

Democrats view Trump's golden age claims as misrepresenting his presidency. They argue that his policies have had detrimental effects on many Americans and have been destructive to the nation's political and economic system. They believe that Trump’s actions are instead returning to America’s “Gilded Age” of the 1880s when there was only a thin façade of prosperity enjoyed by wealthy industrialists. Moreover, Democrats believe America is losing its hegemony in international affairs.

There must be more to Trump’s claim of a golden age than his over-the-top love relationship with anything gold.  This color is displayed everywhere in Trump Tower, his resort at Mar-A-Lago, and now in the refurbished White House Oval Office. In the simplest of explanations, Trump knows that public skepticism of his grandiose claims can be overcome through constant repetition of the same phrase. In addition, it is difficult to believe in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) slogan unless you believe America is entering a golden age.

Historians often refer to a golden age to describe the high point of a past empire or civilization. For example, 5^th century BCE Athens was known for its democratic government, philosophers, and flourishing arts community. The reign of Augustus (27 BC-14 AD) marked the beginning of the Roman Golden Age. It lasted for almost 200 years. The Renaissance was a period of rebirth in Europe following the Middle Ages. India, China, and Japan each had an historical golden age, marked by political stability and cultural progress.

Open borders have traditionally been an important characteristic of a golden age.  When Pericles praised the Athenian Golden Age in 431 BC, he urged his city-state to “throw open our city to the world and never by alien acts exclude foreigners.” Augustus encouraged the Romanization of conquered people by enlisting them in military service where they could become citizens. The most successful Islamic empires established rights and protections for non-Muslims, who were welcomed within their borders.

Similarly, open trade has helped societies enter and maintain their golden ages. The Romans realized that they could effectively grow their economy if they specialized in producing certain goods and traded them for items that other countries were better able to produce. They built extensive road systems, commercial ports, and other infrastructure to facilitate the foreign movement of goods. The Mongolian Empire controlled most of Asia, and parts of the Middle East and Eastern Europe.  To protect its golden age, it implemented a strong currency that was accepted throughout its empire, providing consistency in monetary dealings. They established a free trade zone and tax breaks for essential craftsmen.

During its Industrial Golden Age, Britain traded iron, coal, and clothing, and in return received cotton, spices and other food products. After 1846, Britain embraced free trade principles and reduced tariffs on many goods. 

In 1371, the Ming dynasty in China took the opposite approach. It restricted foreign trade and interaction. These isolationist policies led to economic stagnation, and the empire fell behind in technology, ending its golden age.

What is the plan, if Trump refuses to follow previous examples of golden ages anchored by tolerant immigration and free trade? There appears to be a mixed bag of approaches. Some strategies look backward to an earlier America perceived to be “great.” Other ideas look forward based on the new technologies of the information age.

Embedded in MAGA is a golden age dream of returning the country to a time when industrial barons were in control. White, male workers were employed to work long hours and manufactured domestic products. There were no economic regulations to prevent economic collapse or safety nets for the poor. This MAGA model believes America did best when it was administered by the wealthy, isolated in foreign affairs, anti-immigration and pro-tariff in international trade.

The Trump Golden Age also looks to the future by riding the wave of artificial intelligence, robots, automation, and space travel. In the financial markets unproven and under regulated products like cryptocurrency are marketed to unsophisticated investors.

For those that have concerns that the MAGA Golden Age will turn out as advertised, I highly recommend the best-selling author, Jared Diamond, and his seminal works Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive (2005), and Upheaval: How Nations Cope with Crisis and Change (2019).  Diamond defines collapse based on historical examples as, “a drastic decrease in political/economic/social complexity, over a considerable area, for an extended time.”  He found that historical instances of societal collapse included environmental changes, hostile neighbors and hostile trade partners.

My view is that Diamond’s advice to Trump on avoiding collapse and encouraging a golden age would involve two points. Unfortunately, both are in short supply. First, be willing to listen and to adapt to change. Second, do not ignore obvious problems that have caused other societies to fail like inequality, the national debt, climate change, and political discord.