Because of the cold, the inauguration took place in the Capitol Rotunda. Bad idea. In a way, it was a revenge. On January 6, 2021, that place was invaded by the group who wanted to undermine the electoral victory of . Scenographically, it is a beautiful place. It’s under the postcard dome. In its circular space are statues of notables in American history.
In 1876, d. Pedro 2º was there and defined it: “I went to see the Capitol. It looks very majestic. I really liked the architecture as a whole. Everything that is sculpture is mediocre”.
The world had to put up with the mediocrity of the Rotunda’s sculptures.
Trump took office, rescuing the memory of William McKinley (1897-1901) and gave him back the name of the highest mountain in the world, which was revoked in 2015.
It’s not rhetoric. Trump promises the beginning of golden times. McKinley ruled at the height of a gold-plated era. In his first term, American GDP grew at unprecedented rates. At that time, US Steel was bigger than the federal government. (In 2025, it was not long before US Steel was absorbed by Japan’s Nippon Steel.)
Trump wants to take back the canal, McKinley annexed Hawaii and, after expelling the Spanish, transformed it into American protectorates. Trump promises protectionism, McKinley raised import tariffs.
More than a century later, McKinley’s presidency is seen as the heyday of the wealthy. The richest men in the United States, John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie, swayed him. (Both had come out of nowhere.) Neither of them went to McKinley’s inauguration, but, the richest man in the world, not only was in Washington but is part of the government and wants a corner in the White House.
When Trump says that the Gulf of Mexico will be called the Gulf of America, he responds to Queen Victoria (1819-1901), who had a disagreement with the dictator of Bolivia and ordered the country to be removed from the map she had in the palace. Put a flag on ? Okay, even better if it is taken on an Elon Musk rocket.
After all, Trump left the country, tightened the immigration lock and will certainly raise tariffs on imports. He took office with a vitality that Joe Biden lacked and anticipated a less sleepy presidency, but McKinley he will never be.
Trump said that Brazil and Brazil “need us more than we need them.” So far, he may even be right. The regimes of Cuba and the United States will live through bitter years, but Brazil and Latin America do not need the United States as much as he thinks.
In 1896, when McKinley had a foot in the White House, Baron do Rio Branco wrote to a friend: “I would rather Brazil strengthen its relations with Europe than see it throw itself into the arms of the United States.”
In 1896 it was humiliated and subjugated by the powers of the time. Legend has it that in a park in Shanghai there was a sign stating that “dogs and Chinese people” were prohibited from entering. In 2025, the year could close with a trade surplus of US$ 1 trillion.
LINK PRESENT: Did you like this text? Subscribers can access seven free accesses from any link per day. Just click the blue F below.
