As the world braces for the second coming of Donald Trump, many fear and some hope that his return to power means the end of American exceptionalism. I think Mr. Trump’s return means exactly the opposite. His remarkable political recovery demonstrates the enduring strength of American cultural forces that have, for more than two centuries, made America uniquely hospitable to the disruption and chaos that dynamic capitalism inevitably brings.
Mr. Trump’s MAGA coalition has at least temporarily brought together two groups who are at daggers drawn in much of the world: angry populists seeking to defend the identities and, as they see it, the traditional values of their societies, and entrepreneurial tech lords pushing for deregulation and the rapid deployment of cutting-edge technologies that will likely displace many blue-collar workers.