Trump’s second term has been very unorthodox, especially in its foreign policy. Here, I will discuss how Trump’s foreign policy has been different from the status quo of prior administrations.
Ukraine:
While every single administration in modern history has or would have supported Ukraine during Russia’s invasion (including Trump in his first term), second term Trump has taken a remarkably different strategy. Not only did Trump and JD Vance have a loud spat with Zelensky at the white house, but he also directed US diplomats to vote “no” on a resolution that condemned the Russian invasion. While this raised eyebrows across the world and drew significant ire from democrats and some republicans, the strategy seemed to be that Trump was trying to appease Putin into agreeing to a ceasefire. After all, on the campaign trail Trump did say he would end the war in “24 hours”. However, now, after Putin has consistently made it clear that he is not interested in a ceasefire, Trump seems to be losing his patience. Not only is he heating up rhetoric against Russia’s president on social media, but he also said he would give Putin “two weeks” to come to the table. Furthermore, Republicans on capitol hill are becoming more and more hopeful that a sanction bill on Russia will pass.
Gutting foreign aid:
One of Trump’s biggest goals for his second term was to cut spending and “government waste”. One way he is trying to do this is by heavily cutting international aid. This is most prominently seen in his USAID cuts, which have caused criticism from many experts who say the impacts could be devastating for millions. Despite this, Trump is rolling through undetermined, and cutting international aid in an unprecedented fashion for administrations of both parties.
Tariffs:
Trump’s widespread and liberal use of tariffs is perhaps the most prominent part of his foreign policy, as it directly affects Americans. While the president’s “Liberation Day” tariffs caused major consumer uncertainty and stock market drops, he has dropped or reduced many of them (most notably the China tariffs, which at one point were over 200%). These withdrawals have caused wall street insiders to coin the term TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out), much to Trump’s ire. While the tariff situation has seemed to reach a bit of a cooling point, with announcements and news halting, there is no telling when Trump could decide to start the saga again.
Middle East:
President Trump has attempted to reset relations in the middle east since starting his second term. During his landmark trip to the region, he visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, showing his eagerness to establish relations early in the term (this foreign trip was among the first in his current term). Notably, Trump met with and embraced Syria’s new leader, who was at one point designated a wanted terrorist by the US government. He also notoriously accepted a private jet from Qatar, which has been criticized by democrats and some Republicans. However, I think what was most interesting about this trip was that Trump didn’t visit Israel, America’s greatest middle eastern ally. Trump is also attempting to restart negotiations for a nuclear deal with Iran (he ripped up the Obama nuclear deal during his first term). However, these negotiations have seemed to have stalled. Interestingly, Trump reportedly dissuaded Israel from striking Iran during the negotiations. While Trump is clearly a very pro-Israel president, even floating that Israel and America should take over the entire Gaza Strip, it is clear that he wants to chart his own path in the middle east region.
In all four areas of major foreign policy (Ukraine, Foreign Aid, Trade, and the Middle East), Trump has differed from the established policy of Presidents before him, including his own first term. While we don’t know how Trump’s foreign policy agenda will ultimately play out, one thing can be said: Trump’s foreign policy has been unpredictable and chaotic, and it will continue to be in the future.