There are moments in history when the pieces of the geopolitical chessboard shift so quickly that those who are not prepared to leap are condemned to watch the future from the threshold. Today we are living through one of those moments. This is not continuity; it is rupture. And it has a name: Trump 2.5.
This is how Canadian geopolitical strategist Taufiq Rahim describes it in his book Trump 2.5: A Primer (2025). More than a second presidency, it is a new phase of power. Trump did not return the same: he came back stronger, faster. He learned from his mistakes, consolidated his team, and now governs with a clear vision. Today there is a plan with disciplined execution.
This new way of exercising power demands that political leaders act with determination and order. It requires clarity of direction and cohesive teams. The era of broken promises and the wandering drift of politicians who lack both strength and clarity to act is over. This way of governing is consistent with the speed of technological and cultural change. Whoever does not understand this will remain trapped in yesterday.
Rahim argues that Donald Trump could be the most powerful man in history. If we compare his current position with figures such as Alexander the Great, Caesar Augustus, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, or even Hitler, the difference lies in scope. All of them dominated vast territories, but none possessed the immediate, global, technological, and financial power that a U.S. president exercises today. We can see this in negotiating a trade agreement with China while imposing 30% tariffs and in addressing fentanyl interference in the United States. Trump exercises that power personally and directly, without delegating to technocrats. He leads, decides, and executes.
That leadership manifests itself in his vision of “manifest destiny.” It echoes the golden era of American dominance between 1898 and 1912. Under William McKinley, the United States defeated the Spanish Empire and took control of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Under Theodore Roosevelt, it built the Panama Canal, mediated the Russo-Japanese War, and launched big-stick diplomacy. Under Howard Taft, it expanded its influence through dollar diplomacy. Trump does not want to restore the past: he wants to surpass it.
Even his harshest critics are reevaluating their positions. Thomas Sowell, a giant in economic history and one of the most influential free-market thinkers, had criticized Trump’s use of tariffs. But faced with the results, he changed his mind. Year-over-year inflation fell from 3.0% in January to 2.3% in April, a sign that the market responded with confidence to the agreements and the increase in U.S. productive capacity. The stock market has recovered to March levels. Tariffs were a temporary tool used to force bilateral negotiations. This is how agreements with Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia were renegotiated. It was not protectionism, but strategy.
While the world accelerates, we cannot wait for everything to solve itself. We have two options: board the train of the new era or remain stranded on the platform of excuses.
Sowell states: “Incentives over ideologies.” Policies should be judged by their effects, not by their intentions. And the effects are visible: more exports, greater domestic production, macroeconomic stability. Trump sought results, but he also understands that negotiation depends on the perception of the counterpart. By taking bold positions that provoke fear, he generates negotiation proposals greater than expected. It is in his book The Art of the Deal (1987).
Trump is not alone. He is accompanied by a team that executes efficiently. Elon Musk has saved more than 160 billion dollars through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has proposed banning 8 artificial dyes and 13 other chemicals harmful to health. Tom Holman, the “border czar,” has reduced encounters with illegal immigrants by between 70% and 94%, according to the source. Pete Hegseth has generated savings of nearly 9 billion dollars in Defense by canceling contracts and eliminating subsidies. JD Vance has proven to be an effective second-in-command at the Munich Security Conference. Marco Rubio oversaw the extraction of five Venezuelan dissidents from the Argentine embassy in Caracas — an event worthy of Mission Impossible — and has been key in negotiations from Panama to Ukraine, while also visiting Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic, demonstrating the importance of our region in his political agenda.
These agreements have generated promises of foreign investment exceeding 10 trillion dollars, coming from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, India, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Switzerland, and South Korea. This points toward a promising future in attracting capital, infrastructure, and employment in construction and services, with a positive impact on the quality of life of millions, especially the poorest, who have been Trump’s electoral base since 2016. And all of this in just 120 days.
And this is where Guatemala must open its eyes. While the world accelerates, we cannot wait for everything to resolve itself. We have two choices: join the train of the new era or remain stranded on the platform of excuses. This new global configuration rewards the bold. Those who act. Those who understand that history is written in real time.
The agreement between the Guatemalan government and the private sector to negotiate with the United States on May 27 is an encouraging first step. Hopefully this visit will be successful and mark a new era in which the government, the private sector, and civil society work hand in hand for Guatemala.
As Virgil said in Book X of the Aeneid: Audentes fortuna iuvat. Fortune favors the bold.
This is not just any moment. It is a crack in history. And those who dare to leap, to act, and to decide will be the architects of the new world.
