Sometimes one must look at the big picture. On July 4 2026, the US will celebrate its 250th year of independence. The declaration of independence itself stated that: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These ideas were imperfectly realised. A civil war and the civil rights movement were still to come. Yet the birth of the United States of America was to be a hugely significant moment.

The US had the potential to become the first truly mighty republic since the Roman one, which perished at the battle of Actium in 31BC. Without US power, a German or a Russian dictatorship would have surely conquered Europe. Without the US example, democratic capitalism would not have spread across the world. This would be a far poorer world, beset by all the ills of despotism.

As I argued in a 2016 column, Donald Trump’s arrival on the political scene puts all this at stake. The peril is far closer today. He survived his attempt to overthrow the result of the 2020 presidential election, to return triumphantly in 2024. Trump is unchained. The energy of this administration is transforming the world.