Trump and the Extinguishing of Reagan’s Shining City on a Hill
In his farewell address to the American people in 1989, Ronald Reagan spoke of America as a “shining city upon a hill”—a beacon of freedom, opportunity, democracy, and prosperity. The phrase itself was borrowed from a much older tradition, but Reagan made it uniquely American. The United States was not merely a powerful nation; it was an example to others. A place where institutions mattered, where the rule of law prevailed, and where anyone, regardless of background, could aspire to succeed.
For decades, America sold that dream to the world. Millions bought into it. Immigrants crossed oceans to pursue it. Nations emerging from dictatorship sought to emulate it. Politicians quoted it. Reformers pointed to it. The shining city was not perfect, but it was visible.
Then came Barack Obama and his famous message of hope. His election reinforced the idea that America remained capable of renewing itself. The son of a Kenyan immigrant rising to become President of the United States was perhaps the most powerful advertisement for the American dream ever produced.
The city still shone.
Then Donald Trump arrived.
If Reagan described America as a shining city on a hill, Trump introduced the world to what he himself called “American carnage.” He painted a picture of a nation in decline, under siege, corrupt, weak, and failing. His political success was built on convincing Americans that the city was already in ruins.
The tragedy is that, having won power on that message, he has spent years validating it.
Like the old Nigerian joke about NEPA taking the electricity without warning, Trump arrived and took the light. The city did not collapse overnight, but its shine dimmed. The moral authority that America spent generations accumulating began to evaporate.
The damage goes beyond partisan politics. Nations do not become examples merely because they are rich or militarily powerful. They become examples because their institutions command respect. The world admired America not because it was flawless, but because its institutions appeared stronger than its leaders. Presidents came and went; the Constitution endured. Politicians fought; the courts remained independent. Elections were contested; power changed hands peacefully.
That confidence has been shaken.
Today, when Nigerians criticise corruption, abuse of power, attacks on the media, disregard for court orders, or the weakening of democratic institutions, many politicians have discovered an unexpected defence.
Donald Trump.
Point to a constitutional violation and they point to Trump.
Criticise attacks on the judiciary and they point to Trump.
Question conflicts of interest and they point to Trump.
Raise concerns about democratic backsliding and they point to Trump.
It is as if the world’s most powerful democracy has become the patron saint of bad governance. The argument is simple: if America can do it, why can’t we?
Of course, it is a dishonest argument. Two wrongs do not make a right. Nigeria’s corruption did not begin with Trump, nor will it end when he leaves the political stage. Yet symbolism matters. Nations need examples. Leaders need standards against which they can be judged.
For decades, America provided such a standard, however imperfectly.
When the world’s leading democracy appears indifferent to ethical norms, it becomes harder to persuade leaders elsewhere that such norms matter. Every questionable action in Washington becomes a ready-made excuse in Abuja, Lagos, Benin City, or Kano.
The consequences extend beyond politics. Investors value predictability. Businesses value stable institutions. Citizens value fairness. Once confidence in those institutions erodes, rebuilding it takes years, sometimes decades.
America will survive Trump. Its constitutional system is stronger than any one individual. The republic has weathered crises before and will weather this one too.
But reputations are harder to restore than constitutions.
The shining city on a hill inspired the world because its light was visible from afar. Today, many looking toward that hill see something different: flickering lights, political chaos, and a nation increasingly willing to excuse conduct it once condemned in others.
For countries like Nigeria, that is particularly unfortunate. We already have enough excuses for corruption, impunity, and incompetence. We did not need another one imported from Washington.
Reagan gave the world a shining city on a hill.
Obama told us to hope.
Trump gave us American carnage.
And like NEPA in its glory days, he seems determined to keep the lights off.
Centre for Nigeria Progress 
@lawakhigbe.com
"The United States was not merely a powerful nation; it was an example to others. A place where institutions mattered, where the rule of law prevailed, and where anyone, regardless of background, could aspire to succeed "
Always been a delusion. A bad example.
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After Nixon when the law took its course, it was the high watermark for the rule of law and we believed it and then Trump removed the blindfold
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@lawakhigbe.com just fyi, Reagan was a pretty bad guy too. Kissinger ruined the future of the world before I was ever born. America? Shining example? Bullshit.
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But not corrupt as this one. Rome, Britain and other superpowers had and have dark sides but America sold the better product with defective warranty
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@lawakhigbe.com
Anyone who tells the public that there’s a compromise between their sovereignty and their prosperity that they should give up the right to control the behavior of the powerful are selling you a lie. Reagan sold America a lie. He told everyone that government that is a government representing the population was inherently evil, and that the wealthiest individuals and their cruelty and greed would lead them to prosperity.
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You are correct but I am throwing the bathwater away while I keep the phase that makes my wilder point.
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@lawakhigbe.com
Imagine if people read Rolling Stone
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I imagine they do hence Rolling Stone is still in business
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