Trump’s Lasting Legacy of Failure
Among the outrages committed by Trump during his 4 year infestation of the WH is the damage he did to the US’s global standing. Not only did he turn against centuries-long alliances and quit global cooperation (the WHO, Paris Climate Accord, Iranian nuclear deal), he ceded global trade positions to China. Oh, he talked tough and launched a disastrous trade war, but the real damage he did was allowing China to get a giant leg up on global trade, diplomacy, and even defense. When Trump was boasting about his “America First” policy, other countries were moving into the vacuum and moving quickly. After a smaller increase last year due to the pandemic, China announced today an increase in its defense budget of 6.8% as it modernizes and increases its military capabilities. Xi Jinping, facing no real political opposition, has jumped into the void created by Trump’s bungling cementing not only China’s dominance, but also his own.
Xi saw Trump’s bungling as an opportunity for China, and he took it. He let Trump think he did the “biggest deal ever”, when, in fact, he pantsed him in front of the entire world, and the only people who didn’t see it were MAGHats and Lindsey Graham. His trade war and “deal” with China used his crack negotiating skills – he gave China everything it wanted. The Brookings Institute put it best just before the 2020 election:
“Despite Trump’s claim that “trade wars are good, and easy to win,” the ultimate results of the phase one trade deal between China and the United States — and the trade war that preceded it — have significantly hurt the American economy without solving the underlying economic concerns that the trade war was meant to resolve. The effects of the trade war go beyond economics, though. Trump’s prioritization on the trade deal and de-prioritization of all other dimensions of the relationship produced a more permissive environment for China to advance its interests abroad and oppress its own people at home, secure in the knowledge that American responses would be muted by a president who was reluctant to risk losing the deal.”
Trump’s paper tiger presidency allowed bad actors like Iran, Russian, and China to actually do the opposite of what he boasted would happen. These countries, without the vigilance of the allies lead by the US to hold them to account, increased their global dominance. Russia has expanded its cyber operations targeting all global democracies, China stepped into the void to dominate Pacific trade, and Iran is once again expanding its nuclear capability. Worse, our own allies have backed away from us, and Biden’s aggressive re-engagement has not calmed fears about who the US will elect in 2024 and simply return to Trumpism. This problem is not going away any time soon, especially with a Senate that can’t even pass a bill that will provide some relief to our long haul misery caused by Trump’s incompetence that was magnified by politicians terrified of his violent supporters. Remarkably, it seems that Trump’s greatest accomplishment was creating an environment in the US toxic enough to enable domestic terrorism to rise from the shadows out into the light of day for the entire world to witness. Domestic terrorists espousing fascist ideology and violence doesn’t give our allies confidence in our long term viability and most certainly takes away our moral authority as the biggest proponent of democracy around the world.
The damage Trump did will be long lasting and far reaching. Republicans, trying to protect their own hides, refuse to acknowledge the problem, and this problem can’t be fixed with more executive orders and the efforts of only one party. I’m not hopeful.
This is the perspective on the long-term outcomes of Trump’s short-sightedness my spousal unit and I share. As for hope, I cannot predict the future; all I can do is continue to fight.
1The default condition of China has never been unity; seldom has there been “one China.” It may be that military and information technology will end the tendency of China to break apart. Or not.
The only place the US might usefully have pressed back against Chinese expansion was the South China Sea, where Trump’s errors are going to cost many lives. None of them American.
This would be a food time to read Paul Colinvaux’s “Why Big Fierce Animals Are Rare” if you have not already.
2Well said, El Jefe. With the GOP intent on carrying the torch for Trump, the stain and the stench will remain. Even if other countries like and trust President Biden, they see how quickly the tide can turn again.
3@Harry – It’s not just the South China Sea issue. When Trump unilaterally dumped the TPP, he ceded Pacific trade dominance to China. China just signed a huge trade deal joining China, Japan, and Korea, 10 SE Asian countries, Australia, and New Zealand. Guess who didn’t even have a seat at the table. Yep, you guessed it, us. This deal cuts us out of the largest single block of international trade, putting us at a huge disadvantage with 2.2 BILLION people. That’s not nothing. https://www.npr.org/2020/11/17/935322859/asia-pacific-allies-sign-huge-trade-deal-with-china-while-u-s-sits-it-out
4Has anyone noticed how successful Vladimir Putin has been in accomplishing all of his foreign policy objectives over the past 4 years?
5A – Alienate the US from all her traditional allies.
B – Weaken the North Atlantic alliance – NATO.
C – Refocus American attention and antagonism away from Russia and on to China, both economically and militarily.
D – Sew chaos across the western world, politically and economically.
Putin has been a genius.
Yes, I try telling people Trump gave the crown away to China (the global empire, the beckon of light). I am glad the rest of these Americans realize it. It is too late to fix this damage! We minus well try to unify with the Americas (North & South) if we are to become a global power again. This means no walls, and a common currency. Stop worrying about the Middle East and oil. We must become the One Americus! Make a deal with Mexico, Cuba, and continue southbound!! Try to get Canada aboard. Trains will need to replace planes. Our vision must change or we will be a third world country in soon time.
6Thank You for bringing this to light. It is time for the Green Party to rise!!
Yeah, negotiating anything with anyone will be vastly different for the foreseeable future now that we’ve shown the world that any agreement we make is good until the next election, and then it’s a crapshoot with unknown odds.
7Unless the players load the dice by interfering with elections. Or bribing someone in the White House to do it for them. I think they got a name for that last thing. Emollients, or immolation or some damn thing. Anyhoo. I digest.
IMHO, f**king trump was only the tool. His handlers just made apparent what’s been possible all along. That America has largely upheld international agreements from administration to administration out of goodwill. Not because we felt obligated to do so other than continued goodwill.
Otherwise the international community would’ve punished us with crippling sanctions for reneging on as many impactful agreements as we have in the last 4 years.
Or is it just that nobody else has the clout to do it without risking conflict with American power? And some people, foreign and domestic, like that idea for their own reasons?
I could see that. Creating conflict between us and the rest of the world. To weaken our dominance, or the opportunity to prove it on a continuous basis, depending on the objective. Russia and China wanting the former, and Far right ultra-nationalists wanting the latter.
Or all of them.
trump’s been a gift to a lot of people.
Just not us.
Jefe. Clinton also was against TPP. Nobody has any claim to have pursued a sensible trade policy with China.
And nobody except the Vietnamese and Japanese has ever successfully resisted Chinese expansion by any other method than massacring the overseas Chinese. Even we did that in 1965.
8So you’re not “hopeful.” Then I hope you’re at least stubborn and willing to resist what you’re predicting.
Because otherwise your pessimism isn’t helping.
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