U.S. foreign policy under Trump does not appear to have a consistent logic. Trump has promised to put “America First,” and pursued that end in a variety of ways. At the same time, he has stocked his Cabinet with hawkish interventionists. While adopting a more unilateralist approach, Trump has neglected the institutions that help formulate and execute U.S. foreign policy.
After more than three years in office, President Donald Trump’s administration does not appear to have seized on a consistent approach to dealing with the world. Instead, U.S. foreign policy under Trump has become erratic and seems predicated on somewhat random factors. Decisions often seem to depend on the ability of an individual—whether a world leader, a Cabinet official or an informal adviser—to sway Trump’s opinion. Trump himself seems to revel in any opportunity to undo the accomplishments of his predecessor, Barack Obama, as well as any chance to right a perceived slight against the United States.
Trump entered office promising to put “America first,” which he has pursued by lambasting America’s traditional allies, tearing down international institutions and attempting to cut foreign aid. He has criticized NATO members for not meeting their commitments to defense spending, and both threatened and imposed tariffs against allies. He promised to impose steep sanctions on Mexico unless Mexican authorities manage to stop the flow of immigrants across the United States’ southern border, despite the fact that the move could have upended the renegotiated North America Free Trade Agreement and hurt the U.S. economy.
Despite Trump’s disavowal of America’s global role, he has stocked his Cabinet with hawkish interventionists, who have pushed for a tougher U.S. line on Iran and Venezuela. Unfortunately, that tougher line has often made delicate situations more precarious, without arriving at viable solutions. Trump’s most significant foreign policy effort, which revolved around efforts to convince North Korea to denuclearize, similarly offered scant returns before eventually fizzling out.
In adopting a more unilateralist approach, Trump has nevertheless neglected the institutions that help formulate and execute U.S. foreign policy, identify and respond to potential crises, and pursue diplomacy. The State Department was gutted under Trump’s first secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, and it remains understaffed under Tillerson’s successor, Mike Pompeo. His hostility toward multilateral institutions and collective international responses to global challenges have proved especially costly during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
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