Nostalgia as a political tool in Trump's imaginary
Christian Caliandro argues that nostalgia has become a tool of power and domination, particularly in the political imaginary of Donald Trump. He traces a series of accelerations and distortions in the perception of time since 2016-2017, citing events like Trump's first election, #MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter, COVID-19, the Capitol Hill assault on January 6, 2021, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Caliandro references Jianwei Xun's book 'Ipnocrazia. Trump, Musk e la nuova architettura della realtà' (Tlon, 2025), which analyzes Trump's inauguration speech on January 20, 2025 as a 'mass hypnotic induction ritual' that annuls the present, evokes a mythical past, and materializes a utopian future. The 'Golden Age' phrase is not mere rhetoric but a sign of time transformed into a malleable psychic space. Caliandro concludes that contemporary art, in its best cases, is caught in this mirror game but ill-equipped to critically dismantle it.
Key facts
- Time has accelerated since 2016-2017, distorting perception.
- David Bowie's death on January 10, 2016 is jokingly cited as a catalyst.
- Key events: Trump's first election, #MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter, COVID-19, Capitol Hill assault on Jan 6, 2021, US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24, 2022, Hamas attack on Oct 7, 2023, Trump's re-election in November 2024 and inauguration on Jan 20, 2025.
- Jianwei Xun's book 'Ipnocrazia. Trump, Musk e la nuova architettura della realtà' analyzes Trump's inauguration speech as a mass hypnotic induction ritual.
- The 'Golden Age of America begins right now' phrase annuls the present, evokes a mythical past, and materializes a utopian future.
- Nostalgia has become a tool of power and domination, not just a longing for the past.
- Contemporary art is caught in the mirror game but not equipped to critically dismantle it.
- The article is by Christian Caliandro, published on Artribune in February 2025.
Entities
Artists
- Alighiero Boetti
- David Bowie
- Christian Caliandro
- Jianwei Xun
Institutions
- Tlon
- Artribune
- Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze
- Symbola Fondazione per le Qualità italiane
Locations
- United States
- Afghanistan
- Kabul
- Saigon
- Vietnam
- Ukraine
- Gaza
- Lebanon
- Israel
- Capitol Hill
- Washington D.C.