In the weeks since he reassumed office, President Donald Trump’s actions on the global stage have shocked observers, both internationally and domestically. Most recently, the U.S. State Department froze nearly all foreign aid for 90 days, subjecting foreign aid projects to a review based on which projects, in the words of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, serve to make America “safer, stronger and more prosperous.” This move has set off alarms, especially among Latin American countries, with some pointing out that a decrease in U.S. support is likely to result in increased immigration to the United States. Trump has also slapped 25% tariffs on all imported goods from Mexico and Canada and 10% tariffs on all imports from China — which will immediately affect prices for American consumers, despite his promise to reduce inflation.
As might be expected, I regard these policies as wrongheaded. Given the dependence of the United States on Canadian crude oil, it would be difficult to counteract the inflationary pressure that would result from tariffs on Canada. Other threats — which thankfully seem more dubious — like the purchase of Greenland or the seizure of the Panama Canal, would also be detrimental to American interests, despite what figures in the Trump administration want its citizens to believe. The urge to “buy the Arctic” to compete with China and Russia over newly opened shipping lanes resulting from climate change seems somewhat intelligible. However, Denmark has historically facilitated U.S. use of Greenland for strategic purposes. Antagonizing such a close ally in order to gain formal control over Greenland seems dangerous.
Rather than engaging in these petty quarrels, the Trump administration should focus on the foreign policy fights that are actually consequential. In principle, I agree with the sentiment that the United States should be aiming at bolstering its own security abroad. However, much of what has been done thus far will prove to be short-sighted. The foreign aid mentioned earlier is only 1% of America’s annual budget, but its returns, like stabilizing Latin American countries, are worth much more than the nearly $65 billion the United States spends on aid.
Thankfully, it seems like Trump and the figures around him are cognizant of more pressing issues that require attention. Trump has been eager to claim credit for a tenuous ceasefire deal in the Israel-Hamas war, and if the words of Qatari advisor Majed al-Ansari are to be trusted, Trump’s team did make a real push towards resolving that conflict. Moreover,Steven Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East, has already visited the Gaza strip, showing the administration’s intentions to genuinely elevate the importance of solidifying the ceasefire.
Additionally, despite his failure to broker a deal on day one as promised, Trump has remained surprisingly committed to pushing for a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war, calling it “ridiculous” and saying that he soon will have no choice but to impose a high level of sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime. It seems that Putin will remain resistant to Trump’s demands, but there are many more steps that the administration can take to make Russia feel the pain of sanctions.
Unfortunately, on the third major frontier, China, Trump appears more inconsistent, opposing military aid to Taiwan while placing tariffs on China. One can only hope that more attentive officials will remind the president of the centrality of Taiwan in avoiding increased Chinese dominance of the Indo-Pacific region.
As unlikely as it is, we should hope that, within the Trump administration, cooler heads prevail and choose to focus on the important foreign policy issues of our time. If America was able to fully dedicate its resources toward managing crises such as those in Gaza and Ukraine, the world would be better for it.
