Analysis: American Battleground: Trump returns to power with ‘shock and awe’

Bitter gusts are sweeping the frozen Potomac River, driving the wind chill into the teens. On the western front of the United States Capitol, rows of folding chairs are frosted and empty. Snow flurries howl above the iconic dome, but beneath it, the “Apotheosis of Washington” glows against the ceiling of the Rotunda. The grand painting by an Italian immigrant depicts the ascension of the nation’s first president as a matter not merely of politics, but of divine inspiration. One hundred and eighty feet below, Donald Trump is summoning his own spiritual fire to heat the room.