March Aurelius, Charles de Gaulle, Winston Churcill–these leaders embodied a certain idea of strength. Rooted in courage, integrity, and steadiness in action, they represented authority without personal agitation. Public opinion could rely on these “quiet forces”, evoking a form of stoicism.
Today, however, power seems to be caught up in a culture of immediacy. The performative deluge of rhetoric in the first 100 hours of Donald Trump’s presidency, as well as J.D. Vance’s speech in Munich, reveal a preference for urgency. According to this new American leadership, there is an imperative to assert dominance, to impose its agenda, whether political, economic, technological, or geopolitical, at breakneck speed.
The politics of speed
Disrupting the intellectual comfort of the “End of History”, transactional leadership has found its way into the gaps of liberal democracy, which had long remained complacent in an almost aristocratic vision of liberalism. The new modulus operandi is to act swiftly and decisively on unfolding events without restraint, care, or elegance.
Breaking with the virtue of moderation (which Albert Camus saw as an essential ethic for European pluralism), Trump cuts the Gordian knot of a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world–one that seems impossible to control. For him, anything is possible if one catches the world off guard and reduces political action to a business transaction.
The strategy is to become the director of a never-ending spectacle. This involves blending different communication techniques: Tony Blair’s agenda-setting tactics, linguistic triangulation to blur ideological lines, and the normalization of performative rhetoric to shape reality itself.
Trumpist rhetoric primarily seeks narrative victories because everything depends on one core strategy: the rapid internalization of a new American imperialism. This is a form of narrative “blitsscaling”–a concept borrowed from the tech world, where speed is prioritized to dominate vast markets.
A possible backlash?
Mario Draghis’ February 19 speech in Brussels, the recent Macron-Trump meeting over Ukraine peace talks, and Friedrich Merz’s push for European defense autonomy all indicate that Europe has taken note of the Trumpist playbook.
But in the face of the dangers and violence of political speed, can Europe still hold on to its “quiet strength” when everything seems to be on the verge of collapse? On one side, we see a global show of American moral and military rearmament; on the other, Europe as the guardian of balance. However, resisting also means not rushing. It means knowing when to act, when to stay silent, when to prepare. Choosing the right timing across short-term, structural, and long-term scales.
Faced with an endless flood of information thrown around to control every agenda, the philosophy of Zeno, with its emphasis on moral fortitude, resilience, and constancy, might prove useful.
Already, words like “shutdown” and “recession” are surfacing in the American debate. Let’s not forget: Trump’s political theater is also playing out internally. Just one month after his inauguration, an Ipsos-Reuters poll already showed mixed American public opinion, particularly regarding the economy. Disruptions, uncertainties; this narrative of speed and dominance creates vulnerabilities that could ultimately turn against the United States.
Camille Fumard, Strategy Consultant & Special Advisor to President Edouard Fillias, JIN agency.
