US President Donald Trump posted an Artificial-Intelligence-generated image of himself as the Pope. He has not made a secret of his desire to rule like a monarch. He is also kingmaker: he has propelled the victory of incumbent prime minister Mark Carney and his Liberals in Canada, and of incumbent prime minister Anthony Albanese and his Labour party in Australia. In both Canada and Australia, the principal challengers had been leaders who fashioned themselves as local Trumps. And that prompted voters to set aside other differences and re-elect the anti-Trump figure in their politics.Will Trump’s aspired-for combination of temporal and spiritual authority suffice to shelter the American economy from the economic squalls the Trumpian turbulence has unleashed? Is the US economy, which, at $30 trillion, accounts for about 26% of global output, about to go into recession, pulling down growth rates around the world? The honest answer is, no one knows, thanks to Trumpian uncertainty. But the negative growth registered in the first three months of 2025 is not a happy augury.
.png)
