Trump presidency at half-time: early concerns more than vindicated

IT was two years ago on January 20, 2017, a rainy and cold day in Washington, DC, that Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States. He was to lead a nation that was politically divided and still recovering from costly wars and a devastating economic crisis, and that needed more than ever a unifying figure who would bring the country together and reassert its prestige around the world.

To put it mildly, and despite some early expectations to the contrary, the former real estate tycoon from New York City and television reality show host was not exactly the right man for those tasks. A unifier he was not, and - it's now more evident than ever - he was not qualif…