President Donald Trump’s meeting with the British Prime Minister, hogging the stage and rambling about whatever came into his head as he posed as the “last king of Scotland,” is representative of the crossroads his presidency finds itself at, Stephen Collinson wrote for CNN on Tuesday.
“Six months into his second presidency, Trump is getting exactly what he wants on many fronts,” wrote Collinson. “He’s destroying the global free trading system by lining up framework trade deals that enshrine one of his longtime obsessions — tariffs. He sent U.S. stealth bombers around the world to bombard Iran’s nuclear program. And he’s wrung promises of a vast increase in military spending from NATO members.”
However, he added, “Internationally, it is fair to ask: Is Trump racking up victories for the American people or for himself? Is his coercive power over allies and smaller states a sign of strength or the behavior of a schoolyard tough guy? And what will be the consequence of his wins in the long term — years after his zest for a headline proclaiming a great ‘deal’ has passed? The alliances that made the U.S. a superpower seem especially vulnerable in this regard.”
Two particular issues seem likely to test the limits of Trumpist foreign policy, Collinson continued: the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Gaza, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine — and on both issues, Trump appears to be shifting.
But many questions remain.
On Gaza, where Trump has spent months unflinchingly supporting Israel’s position, he made a sudden break from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to acknowledge the widespread starvation of children in the occupied territory. “Perhaps Trump’s commitment is a genuine shift and could lead to him undercutting Netanyahu, a leader who has repeatedly rebuffed U.S. pressure and damaged the president’s wish to be seen as a peacemaker,” he wrote.
But it could also just be a cold, cynical calculation that America is tired of the bloodshed, and Trump’s decision to eviscerate America’s foreign aid programs will just make things worse.
Then there’s Ukraine, where Trump vowed to end the conflict on day one, and has spent years defending and empathizing with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, but has started losing patience with the Kremlin making a mockery of his peace negotiations and is pivoting toward greater alignment with his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, on arming Ukraine.
The trouble is that to follow through on his sanction threats against Russia would mean sanctioning India and China, a massive disruption to the world economy, and it’s unclear he will be willing to do that — which would only validate his critics.
Ultimately the fundamental problem, Collinson concluded, is that Trump’s handling of these issues could destabilize U.S. power for the future.
“US alliances and its leadership of like-minded democracy were the key to Washington’s power since the end of World War II. And sometimes the country needs its friends — like after the September 11 attacks in 2001,” he wrote.
“Trump is burning through American soft power at a frightening rate. And as some of America’s traditional allies consider closer ties to China, there are clear signs that Trump’s transactional approach could wreak long-term damage.”