In Just 8 Minutes, Victor Davis Hanson Says What No One Else Will

Victor Davis Hanson delves into the extraordinary week marking Donald Trump’s second inauguration—a moment that collides with Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and the annual gathering of the global elite at Davos. Hanson vividly unpacks the stark contrast between Trump’s populist, Jacksonian nationalism and the Davos crowd’s elitist, globalist aspirations. He critiques the fundamental premise of Davos, where unelected elites, led by figures like Klaus Schwab, dream of top-down utopias while disregarding the will of the people and the sovereignty of nations.

Trump’s rise, Hanson argues, represents an existential threat to the Davos agenda. By pulling the U.S. out of institutions like the International Criminal Court and the World Health Organization, Trump reasserted the primacy of the U.S. Constitution over globalist bureaucracies. His policies have shown real results, in stark contrast to the stagnation of Davos-inspired governance. Hanson points to the faltering GDP of the EU and its struggles with illegal immigration as evidence that the globalist model is failing, while nations embracing free-market economics thrive.

As Hanson sees it, Trump’s success is amplifying a broader reckoning. The media and political establishment, once unified in their opposition to Trump, are now undergoing a dramatic shift. From revelations about Joe Biden’s cognitive decline to media outlets settling defamation suits, there’s a growing acknowledgment that the narrative of the past four years was deeply flawed. Hanson observes a Rip Van Winkle-like awakening: Americans are realizing that Trump’s policies were rooted in common sense solutions to issues like border security, economic freedom, and individual liberty.

The Davos elite, Hanson notes, have "forgotten nothing and learned nothing," clinging to an outdated globalist vision even as it loses relevance. Meanwhile, the American people are embracing a corrective—whether it’s Trump or someone else—driven by a return to common sense and constitutional values. This moment, Hanson argues, is not just about Trump; it’s about the reassertion of democratic principles in the face of elite overreach.

Is this the dawn of a new era of sovereignty and accountability? Hanson’s incisive analysis offers a thought-provoking exploration of the cultural and political crossroads we’re facing.