Opinion | To truly make America great again, Trump must succeed in 2 things

“From this moment on, America’s decline is over,” declared US President Donald Trump in his inauguration address, underscoring his long-held belief that only he can save America. Surrounded by tech titans and former presidents, he adopted a relatively subdued tone even as he remained faithful to his “Make America Great Again” talking points.

“My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier,” he said as a newly implemented ceasefire in Gaza paused the devastating 15-month conflict. “Like in 2017, we will again build the strongest military the world has ever seen. We will measure our success not only by the battles we win but also by the wars that we end. And, perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into,” he said, underscoring his “peace through strength” philosophy.

Perhaps nothing better captures Trump’s “peacemaker” ambition than his personal invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration and his decision to delay the ban on TikTok, the social media app owned by Chinese company ByteDance. Meanwhile, America’s other major adversaries, most notably Russia and even Iran, have indicated their openness to direct negotiations to prevent conflict, if not pursue detente.

Despite a promising start, the path is likely to get bumpy. Trump’s cabinet is filled with hawkish figures who oppose Iran and view China as a leading national security threat to America. And Trump himself is notoriously unpredictable, by temperament and as a matter of strategy.

Still, it’s crucial for the second Trump administration to combine calculated brinkmanship with proactive personal diplomacy, especially towards crucial “swing” regions such as Southeast Asia, which has become a new theatre of great power competition.

The last time an American president had his inauguration indoors was after Ronald Reagan’s landslide victory in the 1984 elections. Like Trump, Reagan, a Hollywood actor-turned-politician, faced mockery from the establishment during his first run for presidency, only to be decisively re-elected – it vindicated not only his tenure, but also his conservative agenda, which would shape America for generations.