The Monocle Minute

Today will be Donald Trump’s day, which is his favourite kind. But how much will his incoming administration ultimately be about him? In 2016 the ever-conspicuous commander-in-chief stole the show, conducting the media circus like a top-hatted ringmaster. Now, however, he’s bringing some big personalities along for the ride, including wrestler wranglers, TV anchors and a fair few oddballs.

The one who is most likely to attempt to dominate the narrative is Elon Musk. The owner of X (the nightmare formerly known as Twitter) and aerospace company SpaceX will lead a government advisory group tasked with streamlining operations and cutting unnecessary spending. In Trump’s words, the new US Department of Government Efficiency will dismantle “bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure federal agencies”. Musk has suggested a major skimming of the civil service. But I smell trouble. Let me offer a parallel from the other side of the pond. In 2019, Boris Johnson roared into 10 Downing Street with a thumping majority. To get there, he sought the help of Dominic Cummings, a technology-savvy advisor, who crafted a compelling election campaign through online messaging. The pair entered office with plans to reform the civil service, which Cummings believed was gumming up the system and preventing the best policies from coming to the fore. Then, of course, the coronavirus pandemic began. Suddenly, a robust civil service was needed to respond to an international crisis. Government departments hired more staff because they needed people to pull the levers and make things happen.

A similar fate, I think, awaits the Department of Government Efficiency. As anyone who has tried to reach the IRS of late knows (I spent innumerable hours on hold when I lived stateside), US agencies are already creaking. Modernisation is essential but separating fat from muscle is a delicate task. Is Musk best placed to lead that kind of surgery? More pressingly, I doubt that the Musk-Trump relationship would survive if federal processes flounder as these agencies come under pressure. To return to the UK example, the parting of Johnson and Cummings was a result of two big personalities butting heads. Some reports claim that Johnson ultimately booted his advisor out – which was, I suppose, an efficient way to end things.

Christopher Lord is Monocle’s executive editor. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

Fire up the fondue pots: more than 3,000 delegates have descended on the Swiss town of Davos for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting, which begins today and runs until Friday. Among them are about 60 heads of state and some 900 CEOs or chairs of the world’s largest companies. Taking as its theme “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age”, the forum’s 55th edition will explore how countries, markets and businesses can rebuild public trust at a time of geopolitical upheaval, with participants expected to discuss cybersecurity, conflicts in the Middle East and more.

High on the agenda is the climate crisis and how technology can help to deliver sustainable energy systems. With the global economy facing uncertainty, growth will also remain a hot topic as leaders debate how to build resilient financial systems that are more flexible and capable of adapting to the challenges to come. As ever, Monocle will be at the keynote speeches, parties and ski lifts to hear from those in the know.

Monocle Radio will be broadcasting all week from Davos. Join our team at our pop-up studio at the Hub Culture Chalet on the Promenade or listen live to‘The Briefing’.

Better known for hosting Renaissance gems and the Mona Lisa, the Louvre will be opening the doors to its first-ever fashion exhibition this Friday. Titled Louvre Couture – Art and Fashion: Statement Pieces, the show will run until July and includes haute-couture pieces from the likes of Alexander McQueen, Loewe and Jacquemus. The museum will also feature a selection of related items from its archives, including Byzantine and medieval clothes. The exhibition opening will take place alongside a Paris Fashion Week fundraising dinner, which has widely been interpreted as an attempt to emulate New York’s Met Gala.

Some residents are sceptical. “Several galleries across the city, such as the Musée Galleria and the Grand Palais, are already hosting fashion exhibitions,” fashion journalist Dana Thomas tells The Monocle Minute. “There’s a Dolce & Gabbana retrospective on until the spring. How much fashion does one city need to exhibit? As for the dinner, the Louvre shouldn’t try to model itself on the Met Gala. It is better and chicer than that.”

Some 98 per cent of artworks are sold only once. Sensing an opportunity, Milon Goh and co-founded Art Again in 2023. Its business model is simple: anyone in Singapore who has art that they want to sell can get in touch. Goh and Chua will visit to appraise the work, taking measurements, noting the condition and learning as much as they can about its provenance. Then they’ll photograph it and list it online. If the piece sells, Art Again will take a 15 per cent commission – less than mainstream marketplaces and auctioneers.

“A lot of these works have never really been discovered by the commercial market,” says Chua. Art Again has listed about €1m worth of art since its launch, including pieces by prominent Southeast Asian artists, which have attracted the attention of seasoned collectors, as well as new homeowners on a budget. Goh and Chua hope that the low barrier to entry will help the business to scale quickly and attract first-time collectors. “People are trying to figure out where to spend their money and art is a good area for younger consumers,” says Goh.

For more entrepreneurial tips, stories and insights, pick up a copy of ‘Monocle: The Entrepreneurs’ today.

About two hours by ferry from Seattle and Victoria, British Columbia, is a 10,000-strong harbour town with a temperate climate, a gentle pace of life, a vibrant main street and a fast-growing food-and-drink scene. It’s no wonder that Port Townsend is attracting plenty of new residents. But to truly embrace life here, you need to pick up a chisel or a saw. For The Forecast, Monocle’s editors got their boots covered in sawdust in a spot that we would happily call home.

To read the full article, pick up a copy of ‘The Forecast’ today.

The team behind Hellofrom on their city guides and kiosks. Then: Dogue magazine, a fashion and lifestyle publication for dogs. Plus: we pay tribute to legendary Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani.