OPINION:
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is undoubtedly an optimist, but not in a Pollyannaish way. In his latest book, “America’s Golden Age: Trumpism and an Era of Limitless Possibilities,” Mr. Gingrich cautiously predicts what America will be like by 2076.
“America’s Golden Age” is “a book based on informed optimism.” It is about “a positive, dynamic, extraordinary American future [and] a serious effort to imagine what a potential golden age … would be like on the 300th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2076. It is also a book about a governing philosophy and an approach to solving challenges that has had an enormous impact on America — and will continue to do so for the next several generations.”
The book assumes that “Trumpism and the MAGA movement will define the next fifty years.” Unfortunately, results of the midterm elections last week do not bode well for a coming golden era.
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Although Mr. Gingrich recognizes that “the world is becoming more dangerous, not safer,” he expects bountiful decades ahead for the U.S., provided we mind potential pitfalls.
In 10 concise chapters, “America’s Golden Age” runs the gamut from imagining a golden age and breaking the cycle of pessimism to the promise and perils of artificial intelligence, changes in society, health and education, adventures in space and the all-important future security and safety of the nation.
The book includes three appendixes, consisting of three items: President Trump’s second inaugural speech on Jan. 20, 2025; his address before a joint session of Congress on Feb. 24, 2026; and various notable comments by the president on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The notable comments were included “to show how consistent, focused, and positive President Trump has been on America’s Golden Age, despite the news media’s focus on chaos and pessimism.”
One particularly helpful chapter, “America Fifty Years at a Time,” provides a quick, engaging synopsis of America’s 300-year history in 50-year increments, starting in 1726 and continuing to the present.
At the end of the first 50-year segment, Mr. Gingrich, the historian, characterizes American independence in 1776 as follows: “That coalescing of the French exit from North America, rising wealth and technology, the moral fervor of revivalism, and the availability of coherent ideas for self-governing institutions fueled a dialogue in Philadelphia that made independence unavoidable.”
Additional 50-year sections capture critical events that have propelled the nation to its present time of limitless possibilities.
Mr. Gingrich is “confident that we are moving toward an American Golden Age because … creative destruction [is clearing out] the patterns we have inherited that no longer work. At the same time … an enormous number of Americans, both native born and deeply creative immigrant entrepreneurs and scientists … are inventing a future of enormous opportunity.”
Trumpism is aiding a rising golden era through pragmatism, Mr. Gingrich writes. “There is a focus on facts rather than fantasies and achievements rather than promises. There is a constant effort to cut through the baloney of process, promises, and vague generalizations to emphasize achievements and measurable change. This is an inspect system rather than an expect system. Good words are irrelevant unless they are accompanied by achievements [for everyday Americans].”
Serious impediments to a bright future are identified and briefly evaluated in “America’s Golden Age.” The obstacles — or, perhaps more realistically, constraints — addressed include nuclear war, defeat by an axis of evil, biological threats, a divided Islam (will a radical ideology within Islam dominate a more cooperative one?), Africa’s future (will predatory, violent leaders overwhelm possibilities for modern advances on the continent?), and the artificial intelligence challenge.
A more immediate obstacle on the list of challenges is American division. Because the book was written before this year’s midterms, their impact is not factored in. Yet the election results, which indicate a rejection of Trumpism, highlight the grim reality of self-imposed limits.
The next few years, especially the outcome of the 2028 presidential election, will help determine America’s future after 2½ centuries. Are Americans ready to refine the gold that is available right now or send that gold back to the ore from which it was derived in 1776?
• Anthony J. Sadar is an adjunct associate professor of science at Geneva College, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and co-author of “Environmental Risk Communication: Principles and Practices for Industry” (CRC Press).
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America’s Golden Age: Trumpism and an Era of Limitless Possibilities
Hachette Book Group, $32.00, 288 pages
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