Author: Eduardo Rivera Santamaria

It’s been a while since I’ve devoted a column to marketing and pop culture—two topics I’m well versed in, yet which some business leaders still consider minor matters compared to balance sheets, investments, and corporate decisions. That disdain strikes me as a miscalculation, because the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, held in California this Sunday, deserves attention precisely because it brings together two forces that account for much of American commercial success: the ability to turn a brand into a cultural phenomenon and the talent for translating that fascination into money. Decades ago, the United States understood something that many…

The defense of a nation begins with the protection of its citizens and the certainty that attacks against its people will have consequences. The United States has built much of its identity on that conviction, backed by its armed forces and by institutions that have a duty to respond to the most serious crimes. The case of Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted of the Fort Hood massacre, once again brings that responsibility to the forefront—with the difference that there are plans to broadcast the execution of the former military psychiatrist live on the internet. Behind those killed and wounded…

This weekend brought a bit of everything in the United States, from the Major League Baseball Division Series—which reignited the passion for sports among millions of fans—to Taylor Swift’s surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live alongside Dakota Johnson, while Donald Trump announced a $90 payment for more than 20 million Medicare beneficiaries. All of this is part of life in a country that produces spectacle, money, culture, and power on a massive scale. However, while one part of the United States goes about its routine of major sporting events, celebrities, and an election campaign entering its final stretch, another…

This Sunday, the MTV Video Music Awards had everything it took to dominate public conversation throughout the night. Snoop Dogg as host, Taylor Swift, Madonna, and a long list of stars capable of turning a music ceremony into a global event. The 2026 edition delivered on the spectacle and handed out awards to some of the industry’s biggest names. However, this time the spotlight fell on other matters. Public discourse in the United States was far more focused on what was happening at the United Nations, where Donald Trump addressed the General Assembly and welcomed Xi Jinping on a…

On September 22, the annual meeting of the United Nations begins in New York, with representatives from all 193 member countries in attendance. The agenda will include international peace, climate change, development, artificial intelligence, and restoring trust in multilateral institutions. However, beyond the carefully crafted speeches, the United States will once again take center stage in the conversation. This should come as no surprise to anyone. Washington remains the world’s leading economic, military, and financial power, so every decision made by its government has far greater consequences than those made by any other capital. There are also those who…

In the United States, immigration is part of the country’s economic and social history, and millions of families who arrived from other places eventually became an essential part of American society. That fact is not disputed, nor is it disputed that politicians have realized how much they stand to gain by turning migrants into a voting bloc that must be courted, protected, or confronted, depending on what suits their interests at the time. American social democracy has learned to engage with immigrant communities through an electoral strategy that blends representation, identity, and political promises. The calculation is simple: a…

Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, the United States continues to occupy the position that its adversaries sought to wrest from it. That attack sought to strike at the nation’s economic, political, and military symbols, but subsequent history shows that the United States maintained its ability to defend its interests, exert international influence, and respond to those who sought to cast doubt on its strength. The anniversary being commemorated this week also holds particular political significance. Donald Trump will visit the Pentagon to pay tribute to the victims, while Vice President JD Vance and four former presidents—George W. Bush,…

Donald Trump is often judged by the commotion he causes, his exaggerated gestures, and a style of exercising power that irritates even those who ultimately benefit from his decisions. But if one sets aside the daily drama for a moment and focuses on the results, what emerges is once again the same unpleasant reality for his detractors: that of a president capable of withstanding fierce criticism, straining delicate relationships, and still coming out with his initiative intact and a strategic direction that continues to place the United States at the center of everything. There is, for starters, the standoff…

In business, there’s a phenomenon I’ve personally seen play out in more than one industry: competitors celebrating the departures of the opposing team as if that would solve their own underlying problem. This week, various sectors of the U.S. media and political establishment celebrated the departures from the White House as if four resignations would solve the problem they face at the polls in November. James Braid, the chief liaison to Congress, announced his resignation. Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, had already done the same the previous week. Ed Martin, the pardon attorney, and Dave Warrington, the White House…

I’ve spent decades building businesses in this country, and one of the basic rules I’ve learned in the process is that people are judged by what they do with their own money, not by what they say about other people’s money. That rule—which is so fundamental in business that it’s almost embarrassing to write it down—turns out to be the exact point where the loudest socialist activism in the United States collapses under its own weight. The most prominent spokespeople for the movement that preaches against the accumulation of wealth live in homes that most Americans could not afford,…