Buckle up. Here comes the chaos, the schoolyard insults and the midnight text messages. At noon today, the Trump show returns when Trump is sworn in for a return engagement as president.

There is no question what kind of storm is coming. Vice President Kamala Harris reminded voters of the havoc of Trump’s first four years as president by telling rallies that “we’re not going back — we can’t go back.”

Well, here we are. He’s back.

Today’s inauguration is confirmation of Trump’s domination of American politics since he entered politics as a presidential candidate in 2015.

With a political base built on his time as a reality television star, Trump has no rival as the master of American media. Even before his success on television, Trump controlled tabloid front pages as a master of gossip and outrage.

Now he is the singular titan of social media. The owners of major internet platforms Facebook and X will be in privileged seats for the swearing-in. They have donated millions to the inauguration to guard their king of and the so-called realm of "infotainment," the combination of fake news, conspiracy theories and grievance that drives websites, podcasts and talk show stories.

Trump once called out TikTok as a Chinese threat to U.S. security. Now he is looking for ways to keep the company operating in the U.S. Trump is feasting on social media as he heads toward the ’26 midterms and the 2028 presidential race. He has no equal in national political profile. He has no clear successor, Republican or Democrat, in American politics. And........

© The Hill