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Guest Essay

By Anton Jäger

Mr. Jäger is a contributing Opinion writer and the author of the forthcoming “Hyperpolitics.” He wrote from Brussels.

It is a familiar conundrum by now. Yet in the opening weeks of 2026 — as President Trump kidnapped a foreign leader, threatened to invade an ally and looked on as federal agents detained and killed American citizens in the country’s streets — a slightly tired question has resounded with new urgency. How did the United States get here?

For chroniclers raking over the ashes of the past decade’s tumult, Mr. Trump is at the heart of the matter. Cupidity, ruthlessness, charisma: All are offered as explanations for his rise and conduct alike. In their laser focus on the........

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