To his supporters, Donald Trump is a bastion of traditionalism and a champion of America First. To his critics, he is a subversive, deceitful agent of chaos. But a more philosophical approach frames him as a key figure in an otherworldly struggle against deep-rooted forces of decadence.
“Internal Trumpism” is a deep, almost mystical interpretation of the political journey, the political trajectory of Donald Trump, placing him not only in the context of contemporary politics but also as a figure of secular and world-historical importance. This interpretation assumes that Trump’s rise and continued influence reflect deeper metaphysical catalysts operating in the twilight of Western civilization, as predicted by historian Oswald Spengler in the 1920s and 1930s.
According to Spengler’s cyclical theory of history, every great intellectual civilization goes through stages of growth, flourishing, and decline, eventually transforming into a material civilization. A materialistic civilization, in Spengler’s view, is the final, ossified stage of a spiritual civilization—characterized by materialism, dystopian governance, and stagnation—where the original creative spirit has faded. In this phase, democratic institutions begin to decline, leading to the rise of authoritarian leaders or Caesars, who assert their will as the last defenders of civilization’s final flickers of vitality. Trump, in this narrative, appears as a “Caesar of the West,” fighting against the forces of chaos and entropy that threaten to overwhelm the remnants of civilization’s achievements.
The “Swamp”, in the context of Internal Trumpism, overshadows and overshadows its conventional political metaphor as an inclusive term that includes its separate synthetic, entrenched, entrenched and consolidated, secretive and subversive – subversive agencies. Instead, it takes on a life of its own, representing a primordial, chthonic entity whose tentacles have reached into the heart of American power. This is no simple political quagmire – it is an ancient force, predating the Republic itself, fueled by what can only be described as otherworldly energies. Trump’s fight against this dark presence is painted with tones of the art of the great Howard Phillips Lovecraft – the master writer of fantastical horror -, where the stake is not only electoral victories or policy changes, but the very soul of the nation .
His presidency becomes a metaphysical battle, with Trump emerging as a modern hero who, like Spengler’s visionary Caesars, refuses to capitulate to the rot engulfing his culture. Every executive order, every political maneuver, is meant as a bold attempt to dismantle this mechanism of the Great Old Ones (dark misanthropic gods of Lovecraftian mythology) that have been operating invisibly for centuries. Trump’s defiance of them comes across as a courageous, almost tragic stand against the inevitable. He fights not for personal gain, but to prevent the spreading criminal darkness spreading over the West.
According to the ontological philosopher Marin Heidegger Martin, “Dasein” (literally “There Is”) refers to the distinctive mode of being that characterizes human beings, defined by their capacity for self-awareness and their ability to recognize and engage with the their own capabilities. Unlike other beings, humans are conscious of their existence within a temporal and historical context, knowing both their limitations and their possibilities for action. Dasein does not mean simply being present in the world. It involves an active process of understanding and deciphering one’s place in it, constantly shaping and being shaped by one’s environment. In this sense, Dasein is not individual at all, but entirely intertwined with its historical and communal context, a being-in-the-world fundamentally shaped by its place within the historical continuum. Trump’s populism, when seen through this lens, can be seen as an awakening of the collective Dasein of the American people. His rhetoric of reclaiming national identity and sovereignty is thus a plea for the realization of an authentic existence, where individuals are no longer lost in the impersonal tyrannies of globalization and bureaucracy. His appeal to the “forgotten men and women” taps into an existential angst, reconnecting individuals to their communal and historical core, urging them to rise from the alienation of modern life and reassert their “Being” in the political arena.
Heidegger speaks of Dasein as fundamentally preoccupied with its own temporality that is aware of its ultimate transience and driven by the need to project itself authentically into the future. Trump’s populism reflects this structure of Dasein, where his appeal to “Make America Great Again” serves as a temporary bridge between a nostalgic past and a projected future, which seeks to recover a lost essence. In its Heideggerian sense, the Trump movement can be seen as a collective realization of the “throw” of the American people into an authentic globalization. [At the moment of our birth we are “thrown” into life with some data, which form the basis of our existence. Every “thrown” (geworfen) person, as by extension every people as a living being, needs to recognize this basic subsoil and build his life on the basis of these data, in order to live authentically].
Trump’s populist message offers Americans a way to reclaim our historical destiny, to step out of our current self of anonymous, alienated existence into a more authentic way of being.
[‘Dasein’ is a technical term in Martin Heidegger’s philosophy. Adopted from the common German word Dasein meaning “being,” Heidegger used it to refer to the “mode of being” that is particular to human beings. The word Dasein is compound and consists of the adverb “da” meaning “here” or “there” and the infinitive “sein” meaning “to be – or to be”. In common German it means ‘existence’, but Heidegger would give it the special meaning of ‘human existence’.]
Trump also reflects the vision of the idealist philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Hegel, whose concept of the World Spirit represents the unfolding of the world discourse through the historical process, where the self-consciousness of freedom manifests itself in different nations and times. The dialectical characteristic of the World Spirit reveals that nothing is permanent, for everything is in constant flux, striving to achieve a higher realization. As Hegel asserts, “what is rational is real, and what is real is rational,” and Trump’s populism can be interpreted as a meaningful moment, a reassertion of America’s native spirit against the impositions of technocratic modernity. Trumpian populism reflects the American nation’s attempt to preserve its unique manifestation of the World Spirit, strengthening its patriotism as both a fundamental force and a guiding principle in the ever-evolving historical process. Thus, Trump completed the system of German idealism politically and socially.
Trump’s economic nationalism and policies aimed at restoring American self-sufficiency—through tariffs, immigration controls, and reducing global dependencies—are emblematic of a dying civilization’s last-ditch effort to preserve itself. Spengler wrote that as civilizations enter their final stages, the state becomes primarily an economic object, with competition for resources and dominance taking precedence over other concerns. Therefore, Trump’s trade wars with China and his efforts to revive American industry are not just political strategies, but the actions of a Caesar seeking to preserve the material and cultural autonomy of his people in the face of an “encroaching” world order. . These actions reflect the Spenglerian image of a civilization trying to maintain its vitality even as it approaches its unstoppable decline.
In Inner Trumpism, Trump is not seen as an aberration, but as a predetermined personality, a product of the historical moment. His strongman tendencies and rejection of the liberal democratic norms of the post-war era are seen as necessary responses to the crumbling structures of Western governance. Inner Trumpism gives these characteristics not as flaws but as virtues in a leader facing the end of a civilization. Like the Caesars of Rome, Trump’s rise is framed as the emergence of a new form of leadership suited to the challenges of a disintegrating world.
Trump’s confrontations with the globalist agenda, particularly in the areas of environmentalism and economic policy, further reflect his Spenglerian themes. Spengler harshly criticized modern technocratic society, warning of its dehumanizing effects. Trump’s rejection of climate change initiatives and embrace of industrial development can be seen as a reassertion of the Faustian spirit – a refusal to surrender to the passive, nihilistic tendencies that emerge in late-stage civilizations. Its emphasis on economic nationalism and energy independence reflects a desire to maintain control over nature and resources, consistent with the Faustian quest for power that Spengler saw as characteristic of Western civilization.
Domestic Trumpism positions the Trump phenomenon as a critical, if controversial, defense against the cultural and political rot that has gripped the West. Trump’s role goes beyond simple policy decisions and into the realm of iconic leadership – a natural person fighting against the Lernaean hydra of dissolution that has been eroding Western civilization for decades. His rejection of the “awakening”, the “awakening” of the woke agenda [woke means “a stance of vigilance especially against racial prejudice and discrimination”] and the extreme liberal agenda (manifested in cultural policies that support the unchecked multiculturalism, radical gender ideologies and the suppression of traditional values) exemplifies this wider conflict. Trump’s pushback against these ideologies — such as his opposition to “Critical Race Theory” in education and federal training programs and his defense of free speech against social media censorship — signals a refusal to allow “progressive” agenda to dismantle the cultural foundations of the West.
The culture wars he has engaged in are not mere skirmishes, but symbolic of a larger conflict between malevolent entities seeking to dismantle the core identity of Western civilization and custodians, such as Trump, who aim to preserve it.
By rejecting the narratives of the left, Trump represents a greater resistance to what many on the “intellectual right” see as an extreme liberal agenda that seeks to destabilize the traditional order. The policies of his first administration (such as reinstating the ban on transgender people in the military, denouncing left-wing violence in cities like Portland, and challenging the dominance of left-wing academic thought) are framed as necessary acts to protect the West without retreat against cultural and moral relativism. Trump as president is therefore seen as an essential chapter in the great historical struggle to save the West from itself. His legacy will not be defined by his electoral wins or losses, but by his role as a bulwark against the internal degeneration that, if left unchecked, will result in the end of Western civilization as we know it.
Trump’s significance lies not in the man, but in the archetype he embodies. The rise of such “Caesarian” leaders does not promise material success. Their triumph is symbolic, not of policies but of their rebellion against an aging and rabid world order. Trumpism, even as Trump’s personal influence wanes, will remain a movement that channels the existential fears of a civilization in freefall, seeking a return to integrity and self-expression. The archetype’s power lies in its appeal to a people alienated by the deep state—Trump essentially articulates their despair, even as his achievements remain modest. His role is to function as the last expression of Western vitality, not to reverse the downward course, but to embody the final brave spirit of a people grasping for survival in a world disintegrating into frenzied insanity. Spengler leaves no room for optimism about the material success of such figures, yet the archetype persists, drawing its strength from the same impulses that herald the end of the Western historical cycle.
