In the aftermath of the USA's 250 years of independence and a potentially unsuccessful war against Iran, questions arise about the leadership of "America First." Are the USA in decline as claimed, and can the Trump solution revive the country? According to the Rand Corporation, a research team that examined this issue, American power is undermined by internal factors—slowing productivity gains, an aging population, an increasingly polarized political system, and growing difficulty accessing reliable information—and external factors, including China's rise and a loss of political, economic, and cultural influence on the world stage, among others. This decline enjoys consensus even within the political class, both Democratic and Republican. By attacking international economic relations, Trump defies all logic. By raising tariffs on countries exporting to the USA, he only fuels local inflation, as foreign products cannot all be substituted with American ones, and even if they could, it would only happen long-term. The gains for American households will fall far short of the additional tariff revenues collected. So much so that relocating a single job would cost around 1 million dollars. The real lever to halt decline would be ending political polarization—but is that still possible? The two dominant parties are increasingly at odds. It would also require a larger number of political, economic, and civil society leaders to establish action priorities rather than getting lost in partisan debates over narrow issues. To move faster and multiply chances of success, various initiatives and solutions would need to be launched at different levels by different actors simultaneously, which is partly visible on the ground but still lacks clear momentum. Effective and transparent government institutions are also needed to decide, structure, and guide change efforts. Yet while the United States still has relatively strong public and private organizations, it faces an "impotent Congress," the Rand report laments.