Trump’s 1st Year: Hard to Believe This President Has Made America Great

Editorial

14:29 JST, January 20, 2026

In just one year, U.S. President Donald Trump seems to have transformed the United States from a leader of democracy into an authoritarian country.

Tuesday, Jan. 20, marked one year since Trump launched his second administration. It is impossible not to be concerned about his excessive issuance of presidential orders and his increasingly authoritarian behavior since the first day he returned to office.

Trump has effectively excluded media outlets critical of his administration from press conferences and had a reporter’s home searched. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell, who has resisted the Trump administration’s pressure to cut interest rates, said he has become the subject of a criminal investigation.

Restricting a free press and interference in the judiciary are standard tactics of the iron-fisted rule in authoritarian regimes such as China and Russia. The United States, in contrast, has prioritized values such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law, and it has led the international order since the end of World War II.

It is extremely regrettable that the Trump administration is using the same tactics as authoritarian countries to contain criticism, thereby damaging the international respect and trust that have been the source of the United States’ power. This also seems to contradict his administration’s pledge to “Make America Great Again.”

Trump has imposed high tariffs on various countries, decided to withdraw from or halt funding for international organizations and treaties, and turned his back on the free trade system and multilateral cooperation frameworks.

Trump was forced to review the so-called reciprocal tariffs he imposed after causing market turmoil, and the tariffs’ legitimacy is being contested in the Supreme Court. Ceasefire mediations over Russia’s aggression against Ukraine have run into difficulties. It must be said that his achievements have been meager.

In June last year, Trump ordered airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and launched a surprise attack on the South American country of Venezuela at the beginning of this year. Although it has been argued that these cases are violations of international law, Trump has said, “I don’t need international law.” His lack of respect for the law is extreme.

Before taking office, he was negative about military intervention in other countries, but now Trump appears desperate to come up with results.

Trump has also shown enthusiasm for militarily annexing or purchasing the Danish autonomous territory of Greenland, announcing that he will impose additional tariffs on eight European countries that oppose the move. This reckless approach, which treats the sovereignty and territory of other countries as bargaining chips and attempts to obtain them by force, must not be tolerated.

Trump’s approval ratings remain low. Even in Congress, where Republicans hold majorities in both houses, there are signs of resistance to the president’s agenda. The key will be whether Congress can regain its countervailing power in the midterm elections in November.

It is important for Japan and European countries to remain steadfast in their emphasis on the rule of law. They must persistently argue that rule by force destabilizes regions and is not in the interests of the United States.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Jan. 20, 2026)