Are we entering a new era? In five days’ time, Joe Biden will leave the White House, to be replaced by Donald Trump. Some experts think he brings a whole new century with him.
Trump prepares for power as ‘Sun King’
Absolute power: Donald Trump imagined as King Louis XIV (above). Louis was known as the Sun King because he was the centre of gravity around which all of France revolved. He eventually uttered the famous words: “L’état c’est moi”: I am the state.
Glossary
Congress - The legislative branch of the American government, where elected representatives vote on which laws should be passed. Congress is made up of two chambers: the Senate, which contains two members from each of the 50 states, and the House of Representatives, which has representatives from 435 smaller districts.
Louis XIV - A 17th-Century French king who expanded the powers of the French monarchy and turned his country into the greatest power in the world. However, by the end of his long, 72-year reign he had squandered much of this advantage.
Nobility - The aristocracy, or the highest social rank.
Manipulate - To control or influence something or someone so that you get an advantage, often unfairly or dishonestly.
Jeff Bezos - The founder of Amazon and one of the world's richest people.
Inauguration - The introduction of a new system, or the formal ceremony introducing someone to office (most noticeably the US president).
Mark Zuckerberg - Since founding Facebook as a university student, Zuckerberg has become one of the top ten richest people in the world.
Meta - The new name of the company which owns Facebook and Instagram.
Right-wing - Sometimes referred to as 'conservative', this is a range of political beliefs that emphasise the value of tradition, individual freedom and responsibility, low taxes and a hands-off approach to government.
Republican Party - Also known as the Grand Old Party or GOP, it is one of the USA's two major political parties. Its first president was Abraham Lincoln. It sits on the right of the political spectrum.
Elon Musk - A South African-born entrepreneur whose companies have included the online payment service PayPal. He now controls Twitter, renamed 'X'.
Democracies - Countries which have a system of government based on the idea of rule by the people.
Globalisation - The growing interdependence of the world's economies, peoples and cultures.
Far-right - A range of ideologies that emphasise social order, racial purity and the elimination of opponents.
Reactionary - Opposed to new political ideas or social change.
Global South - A term increasingly used to describe less-developed countries, most of which are south of a line that separates, on different continents, the USA from Mexico, Europe from Africa, and Russia from central Asia and China.
Conservative - Holding traditional values, and in a political context, favouring policies such as private ownership.