You make only reasonable arguments here,but they mostly regard a military conquest that creates an empire. I am talking about a negotiated trade empire, an empire of corporations moving products.

About Trump's age, you are very correct. He's got 4 years to either do what he's going to do, or end the American republic, because the Constitution won't allow him to serve as President beyond that time. After Franklin Roosevelt was elected to a third term, the Constitution was amended to prevent that. But I don't think that's a problem for Trump, whom I do not think is a Constitutionalist, nor a lawyer, but a man that seems accustomed to making things change so he can have his way, which is what I expect of him.

As I said earlier, I hope I'm wrong. It's all rather speculative, pointless, unless there's some insight that enables preparatory actions to be taken, which I don't see. To put a pin in it, I'm just glad I'm not Syrian today.