I do not think it is that controversial to imply that Trump is trying to fill a religious void in the US? And that there are real Trump believers out there and that for many, it is a matter of heart and faith. Whereas, of course, for most on this thread, life is there to be analysed, intellectually, in words. We have already had on this thread, the discussion of words/semantics.
The deliberate discombobulation practised by Trump. It is really quite something and incredibly confusing.
Seems to me that Trump wants to bring back the Structuralist World, Man and Woman, Good and Bad Guy type thinking. The world post Covid is very confusing so it is an easy sell to many. Because they want a clear world back.
And if he cannot legally exclude certain types of students from certain parts of the world, then he is going to try and exclude all international students first. Even if it is destructive.
He wants to bring back WASP Protestantism as the norm? For social cohesion, as a value system, for the US? I mean it is probably true that the US has lost itself in capitalism and trying to police the rest of the world. The glorification of the US and the image spread all over the world has led to its own self destruction. I mean as a Brit I feel we should let the US find itself again and not interfere too much. I think we have our own huge issues here of division and lack of anything concrete.
As far as I understand it, China is expanding its own university system and India needs to do that as a matter of priority, given population size, too. And perhaps our role should be more to provide models and assistance to countries like India, to do just that. Help them set up stuff and benefit here financially from it too by sharing our expertise and incredibly successful HE model of free thought, pastoral care, whole student experience.