On November 8, the Institute of Social Sciences held the 36th open lecture titled “Where is America heading: Reflections on the second Trump administration” at Liberty Hall, Surugadai Campus. Approximately 250 attendees spanning a wide range of generations, from young people to seniors, gathered for this event.
This lecture, held as a sequel to last year’s highly successful 35th Symposium, “Where is America heading: In light of the 2024 U.S. presidential election,” was organized with the aim of analyzing the second administration of Mr. Donald Trump, who was inaugurated as president in January 2025 . Following the opening remarks of Director IDA Masamichi (professor at the School of Political Science and Economics), three researchers gave presentations, as was the case last year.
Professor UNNO Motoo of the School of Political Science and Economics, the first speaker, touched upon future Japan-China relations before primarily analyzing the second Trump administration from the perspective of domestic policy. Drawing on his personal experiences in the U.S., the professor explained how a divide between MAGA (Make America Great Again: supporters of the Trump administration) and non-MAGA factions is progressing beneath the surface and how the administration is attempting to pursue “politics through fear” via its media strategy.
The second speaker, Professor SUGITA Hiroki at the School of Political Science and Economics (and a guest editorial writer for Kyodo News), gave a lecture titled “Grading Trump’s diplomacy.” He outlined the administration’s diplomatic stance, highlighting characteristics such as family diplomacy, prioritizing business interests, and a lack of consistency.
The third speaker was FUJIMORI Hiroki, Lecturer at the Graduate School of Commerce. His presentation, titled “The U.S. economy and the economic policies of the second Trump administration: focusing on Trump tariffs,” covered the current state of the U.S. economy, President Trump’s economic policies, and the future trajectory of the U.S. economy. The professor presented various economic indicators and pointed out the outlook, stating, “Economic development in Republican stronghold states is likely to accelerate.”
Following the lectures, a lively Q&A session took place, similar to the previous one held immediately after the presidential election, reflecting the high level of interest among participants.