Liberalism vs. protectionism: a false paradox, a true change of era?

The path dramatically pursued by the new President of the United States, with Elon Musk’s blessing, may appear paradoxical in that it combines two seemingly contradictory approaches: ultra-liberalism and ultra-protectionism.
However, this is not the case.
Indeed, make no mistake: this path is anything but surprising – not only because it was already part of the Republican candidate’s platform, but more fundamentally because it fits perfectly into a shift in ideas and public opinion that has been gradually unfolding over the last 50 years. This shift is rooted in the liberalisation of the economic market and the restriction of the State to its sovereign functions, all against the backdrop of a more recent trend towards political illiberalism. The result is a societal model with two poles: a centralised political power and an economic power that increasingly seeks to free itself from any form of public sector intervention. But that’s not all. It should also be emphasised that the contradictory nature of this model is only apparent for another reason. Indeed, on essential points, it recalls in key respects the model that prevailed in the 19th century, now re-emerging in a completely unprecedented context.
Indeed, the State at the time, often referred to as a “night-watchman State”, intervened financially in economic matters only in a limited and occasional way, and refrained entirely from social involvement.As a matter of principle, its options – budgetary balance, very limited recourse to borrowing and monetary neutrality – prohibited it from doing so…