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Business and personal
45th and 47th President of the United States Tenure
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U.S. foreign policy during thefirst presidency of Donald Trump was noted for its unpredictability and reneging on prior international commitments,[1][2][3][4] upending diplomatic conventions, embracing political and economicbrinkmanship with most adversaries, and stronger relations with traditional allies.Donald Trump's "America First" policy pursuednationalist andunilateralist foreign policy objectives while prioritizing bilateral relations over multinational agreements.[5][1] As president, Trump described himself as a nationalist[6] and aglobalist[7] while espousing views that have been characterized asisolationist,non-interventionist, andprotectionist,[8][9][10] although the "isolationist" label has been disputed,[11][12][13][14][15][16] including by Trump himself,[17][18] and periods of his political career have been described by the alternative term "semi-isolationist".[19][20][21] Trump personally praised somepopulist,neo-nationalist,illiberal, andauthoritarian governments, while antagonizing others, even as administration diplomats nominally continued to pursue pro-democracy ideals abroad.[22]
Upon taking office, Trump relied more on military personnel than any previous administration since thepresidency of Ronald Reagan,[23] and more on White House advisors than on the State Department to advise him on international relations; for example, assigning policy related to theMiddle East peace process to senior advisorJared Kushner.[24] FormerExxonMobil CEORex Tillerson was Trump's firstsecretary of state, appointed for his experience and contacts in many other countries, particularly Russia.[25] During Tillerson's tenure at theState Department, budget cuts and Trump's reliance on White House advisors led to media reports that the State Department had been noticeably "sidelined".[24] FormerCIA directorMike Pompeo succeeded Tillerson as Secretary of State in April 2018.[26]
As part of the "America First" policy, Trump's administration reevaluated many of the U.S.'s prior multinational commitments, including withdrawing from theTrans-Pacific Partnership, theINF Treaty, theUNHRC andUNESCO, and theParis Agreement, and urgingNATO allies to increase financial burden sharing. The Trump administration introduceda ban on travel from certain Muslim-majority countries andrecognizedJerusalem as the capital ofIsrael. He soughtrapprochement withNorth Korean leaderKim Jong-un as part of efforts todenuclearize the Korean Peninsula, although North Korea continued to expand its nuclear arsenal. Trump withdrew the U.S. from theIran nuclear deal and increasedsanctions against Iran, precipitating several confrontations between the two countries. He increased belligerence againstVenezuela andNicaragua while overseeing drawdowns of U.S. troops fromSyria,Iraq,Somalia, andAfghanistan, whileagreeing with the Taliban for a conditional full withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. He also increased U.S.drone strikes in Africa,[27] and continued the U.S.'swaron terror andcampaign against theIslamic State terror organization, including overseeing thedeath of its leaderAbu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October 2019.[28] In January 2020, Trump ordereda drone strike in Iraq which assassinated Iranian major generalQasem Soleimani.
The Trump administration often used economic pressure to enforce its foreign policy goals.[29]Trump's import tariffs agitated trade partners and triggered atrade war with China. He also signed theUnited States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), a continental trade agreement which replacedNAFTA. Trump's administration brokered theKosovo–Serbia agreement, theAbraham Accords, and subsequent Arab-Israeli normalization agreements withBahrain,Sudan, andMorocco.
Scholars have offered differing interpretations of Donald Trump’s foreign policy. Some have described it asnationalist andpopulist, highlighting Trump’s opposition to the foreign policy establishment, international organizations and migration.[30] Other scholars argue that key themes of Trump’s foreign policy - particularly America First and Make America Great Again — draw on ideological narratives associated withfascism, such as themes of national decline and rebirth. According to this view, Trump’s rhetoric and policy positions contributed to the normalization and legitimization of exclusionary politics and the justification of hostility or violence toward racialized minorities and political opponents.[31]
In 2020, Trump explained how some of his foreign policy goals became his rationale behind running for office: "I ran for president because I cannot watch this betrayal of our country any longer. I could not sit by as career politicians let other countries take advantage of us on trade, borders, foreign policy and national defense."[32]
In May 2016, Trump campaigned to secure American energy independence for the first time.[33] He drew attention to China's acceptance into theWorld Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 as a mistake, claiming the decision had contributed to massive job losses.[34] Consequently, he threatened in 2016 to place tariffs on Chinese products if elected, and post-election he vowed to impose tax penalties on American firms that offshored their companies.[35][36]
On January 23, 2017, three days after taking office, he withdrew from theTrans-Pacific Partnership, which he deemed a "job killing partnership".[37] Trump announced a preference for bilateral agreements; over the remainder of Trump's term, his administration produced a handful of limited bilateral agreements covering specific products or industries, with limited results. Trump pursued only one generalfree trade agreement (FTA): theUSMCA (with Canada and Mexico), which modifiedNAFTA. Although the U.S. under Trump eschewed FTAs, the six most important U.S. trading partners continued to negotiate and enter into FTAs, with the U.S. losing ground as a result.[38]
On April 6, 2017, in retaliation for Syrian PresidentBashar al-Assad's chemical weapon attack, ofsarin, against civilians, Trump authorized a limited cruise missile strike on a Syrian air base. After Russia blocked U.S.-sponsored measures against the Syrian regime at the UN Security Council, the U.S. took unilateral action.[39] The attack drew international support and claims it was justified, citing enforcement of theChemical Weapons Convention (CWC).[39][40]
On April 27, 2017, the administration reversed theUnited States-Korea Free Trade Agreement, which Trump described as a "job-killing trade deal" when he was still a presidential candidate.[41][42]
In April 2017, the administration confrontedNorth Korea and Vice President Pence paid a visit to the DMZ.[43] Tensions increased when Trump asserted in an interview, "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will."[44] A few months later, in June, he declared a national emergency with respect to North Korea. On June 17, North Korea released American captiveOtto Warmbier who was returned to the U.S. in a comatose state and died shortly thereafter.[45]
In May 2017, Trump took his first trip abroad as president, traveling to Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank, Vatican City, Belgium, and Italy. In Brussels, he addressedNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) heads of state and governments, calling on each of them to "finally contribute their fair share" to the alliance.[46] In January 2019, secretary general of NATOJens Stoltenberg, thanked Trump for being "committed to NATO", professing that he deserved credit for obtaining an additional $100 billion in defense spending for the alliance.[47]
In June 2017, Trump announced that the U.S. wouldwithdraw from the Paris Agreement tocombat climate change. The withdrawal left the U.S. as one of the world's only countries outside the Paris Agreement (which consolidated each country's voluntary pledge to reducecarbon emissions and aimed to further emissions cuts), and made the U.S. the sole country to withdraw from the agreement after entering into it.[48] Trump's withdrawal formally abandoned President Obama's goal of cutting U.S. emissions by 28% below 2005 levels by 2025.[48] The U.S. withdrawal formally came into effect on November 4, 2020.[48] Trump's decision to withdrawal from the agreement dismayed business leaders and U.S. allies[49] and was condemned by scientists, which warned that U.S. withdrawal would deepen theclimate crisis.[50][51]Joe Biden, Trump's successor, re-entered the U.S. into the Paris Agreement on February 19, 2021.[52]
On December 6, 2017, Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and started the process of relocating the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.[53]
In March 2018, Trump proposed the creation of an independent space force. Following the decision, he directed theDepartment of Defense to establish theUnited States Space Force, a new branch of the Armed Forces. It was signed into law on December 20, 2019.[54]
On May 14, 2018, the Trump administration officially moved the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv toJerusalem.[55]
On May 18, 2018, Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from theJoint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known as the Iran Nuclear Deal.[56][57] The administration had earlier put Iran "on notice" after they test-fired a missile a few days after Trump took office.[58]
On June 12, 2018, Trump and North Korean leaderKim Jong-un met inSingapore. Trump hoped their rapport would prompt the ending of North Korea's nuclear program. Trump used "flattery, cajolery and even a slickly produced promotional video" in an attempt to persuade Kim into a peace partnership. Trump also gave Kim certain concessions, including ending military drills between the United States and South Korea, a decision that surprised both South Korea and the Pentagon.[59]
On June 19, 2018, U.N. ambassadorNikki Haley announced that the United States would withdraw from theHuman Rights Council. She cited the council's "chronic bias against Israel" and the human rights abuses of various sitting members, including China and Venezuela.[60]
On July 16, 2018, Trump and Russian PresidentVladimir Putin met in Helsinki for a two-hour meeting to discuss the Syrian civil war, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and Russia's encroachment on Ukraine.[61]
In September 2018, the U.S., Mexico, and Canada reached an agreement to replace NAFTA with theUnited States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA).[62] During his 2016 campaign, Trump condemned theNorth American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), declaring that if elected to the presidency, "We will either renegotiate it, or we will break it."[63][64]
In December 2018, Trump announced that the United States would withdraw all of the more than two thousand troops deployed in Syria, and asked the Pentagon to come up with a plan to withdraw half of those serving in Afghanistan as well.[65]
In the aftermath of theNovember 2015 Paris attacks committed by ISIL, Trump reiterated his intention to eliminate ISIL.[66] By August 2017, the Trump administration had "dramatically accelerated" theU.S.–led campaign against ISIL and recaptured almost one-third of the territory they had taken.[67] On March 23, 2019, Trump administration officials and allies cautiously hailed the territorial collapse of the Islamic State in Syria. The administration emphasized the need to continue applying pressure by maintaining a presence in the country, while also blocking a territorial resurgence of the Islamic State.[68]
In May 2019, the "Trade War" with China took a turn for the worse. Trade talks broke down and the United States raised tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods; China reciprocated. The Trump administration also imposed new restrictions on Chinese telecom firms, labeled China a currency manipulator, and threatened to halt all private U.S. investment in China.[69]
On June 30, 2019, Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to set foot in North Korea, for a brief meeting with its leader,Kim Jong Un.[70] Kim admitted his surprise at Trump's request to meet, but accepted the offer due to their "excellent relationship" and the significance of meeting to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.[70]
On October 6, 2019, Trump said he would withdraw all remaining U.S. troops from Kurdish-controlled northern Syria. Turkey then invaded Syria to combat the Kurdish groups. The Trump administration responded by placing sanctions on Turkey, although it was a NATO ally.[71]
In 2019, Trump stated that U.S. troops were in Syria "only for oil".[72][73][74]
On December 20, 2019, Trump spoke with China'sparamount leaderXi Jinping, when China agreed to make "large scale" purchases of U.S. farm goods. They planned to sign a formal agreement on a "phase one trade deal" aimed at eventually ending their 18-month trade war. During their talk, Xi told Trump he was deeply concerned about "negative words and deeds" from the U.S. regarding Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet.[75] Along with some tariff relief, China agreed to make various structural changes concerning intellectual property and technology issues.[76] Actual Chinese purchases of American goods during 2020 fell far short of expectations.[77] Ultimately, the phase 1 agreement failed to address any structural aspects of the structural conflicts between the United States and China.[78]: 290 The overall U.S. trade deficit worsened, with supply trade diverted from China to higher-cost foreign producers rather than being supplied domestically.[78]: 290 Tariffs imposed by the U.S. increased costs of Chinese imports for U.S. consumers and business.[78]: 290
We are restoring the fundamental principles that the job of the American soldier is not to rebuild foreign nations, but defend — and defend strongly –our nation from foreign enemies. We are ending the era of endless wars. In its place is a renewed, clear-eyed focus on defending America's vital interests. It is not the duty of U.S. troops to solve ancient conflicts in faraway lands that many people have never even heard of. We are not the policemen of the world.
January 2020 saw the outbreak of what would become the worldwideCOVID-19 pandemic. On May 29, Trump announced that the U.S. would cease funding of theWorld Health Organization (WHO) and pull out of the agency, claiming that it had protected China while the coronavirus outbreak there spread to other countries to become apandemic.[80]
The U.S. signed theDoha Agreement in February 2020, a peace deal with theTaliban that facilitated thewithdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan and the official conclusion of thewar in Afghanistan.[81][82]
In 2020, the U.S. brokered agreements that established or reestablished diplomatic and economic relations betweenIsrael and four Muslim nations: theUnited Arab Emirates,Bahrain,Sudan, andMorocco.The New York Times and theAssociated Press described these "Abraham Accords" as one of Trump's main foreign policy achievements.[83][84] Several of the normalization agreements involved diplomatic incentives offered by the U.S., which took steps to remove Sudan from theU.S.'s state sponsors of terrorism list, to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over thedisputed region ofWestern Sahara, and to sellF-35 stealth fighter jets to the UAE.[83]
The agreements betweenIsrael and the UAE, signed in August 2020, were the first between Israel and an Arab country in 25 years.[85][86] A normalization agreementbetween Bahrain and Israel was signed in September 2020, providing for diplomatic relations (exchanging ambassadors and opening embassies), the establishment of direct flights, and cooperation in health care, technology, agriculture, and other mutual industries.[87]
Similar agreements to normalize ties were madebetween Sudan and Israel in October 2020 (the agreement was for establishment of direct flights; an "end to the state of belligerence"; and direct economic and trade negotiations, with a focus on agriculture,[88] but not full diplomatic relations[89]) andbetween Israel and Morocco in December 2020.[89][90][91]
On September 4, 2020, after U.S.-brokered talks,Serbia andKosovo signed aneconomic normalization agreement, which also resulted in Serbia agreeing to move its embassy to Jerusalem, and mutual recognition between Israel and Kosovo.[92] In January, at the urging of European leaders, the U.S. brokered an agreement to restore flights between the capitals of Serbia and Kosovo for the first time in more than two decades.[93]
In October 2020, amid theSecond Nagorno Karabakh War opposingArmenian-backed and self-proclaimedRepublic of Artsakh toAzerbaijan, the Trump administration has not taken any side, and negotiated ceasefires that were quickly broken on the frontline. However, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has criticized an allegedTurkish involvement in the conflict. The Trump administration has voiced in favor of a peaceful resolution of the conflict through diplomatic talks.[94][95]
| First Trump administration Foreign Policy Personnel | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vice President | Pence (2017–2021) | ||||||
| White House Chief of Staff | Priebus (2017) | Kelly (2017–2019) | Mulvaney (2019–2020) | Meadows (2020–2021) | |||
| Secretary of State | Shannon (2017) | Tillerson (2017–2018) | Sullivan (2018) | Pompeo (2018–2021) | |||
| Secretary of Defense | Mattis (2017–2019) | Shanahan (2019) | Esper (2019) | Spencer (2019) | Esper (2019–2020) | Miller (2020–2021) | |
| Ambassador to the United Nations | Sison (2017) | Haley (2017–2018) | Cohen (2019) | Craft (2019–2021) | |||
| Director of National Intelligence | Dempsey (2017) | Coats (2017–2019) | Maguire (2019–2020) | Grenell (2020) | Ratcliffe (2020–2021) | ||
| Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | Park (2017) | Pompeo (2017–2018) | Haspel (2018–2021) | ||||
| Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs | Flynn (2017) | Kellogg (2017) | McMaster (2017–2018) | Bolton (2018–2019) | Kupperman (2019) | O'Brien (2019–2021) | |
| Deputy National Security Advisor | McFarland (2017) | Waddell (2017–2018) | Ricardel (2018) | Kupperman (2019) | Pottinger (2019–2021) | ||
| Trade Representative | Pagan (2017) | Vaughn (2017) | Lighthizer (2017–2021) | ||||
Mark Kevin Lloyd, who began his role as the religious freedom adviser at theU.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on May 26, 2020, has a history of making anti-Muslim statements. Several Muslim civil rights groups objected to his appointment. Lloyd had previously worked for the Trump campaign in Virginia.[96]
Merritt Corrigan, the deputy White House liaison at USAID, was fired on August 3, 2020, the same day she made a series of anti-LGBT tweets. These included her complaint that the US requires other countries to "celebrate sexual deviancy" to qualify for aid. Corrigan had made similar statements in the past.[97]
On March 3, 2019,National Security AdvisorJohn Bolton invoked theMonroe Doctrine in describing the Trump administration's policy in the Americas, saying "In this administration, we're not afraid to use the word Monroe Doctrine ... It's been the objective of American presidents going back to [President]Ronald Reagan to have a completely democratic hemisphere."[98][99]
In September 2019, following John Bolton's departure from the administration, Trump claimed that Bolton's views were "not necessarily tougher" than his own: "in some cases, he thought it was too tough what we were doing". Trump claimed that his own views onCuba andVenezuela were "far stronger" than Bolton's and stated that he was "holding me back". In May 2019, Trump offered a different view of Bolton: "I actually temper John, which is pretty amazing."[100][101]
President Trump hosted PresidentMauricio Macri in Washington, D.C. in April 2017. They met at theWhite House on April 27 to talk about trade.[102] When theARASan Juan submarine went missing on November 15, 2017, during a routine patrol in the South Atlantic off the coast of Argentina, Trump offered the help of the United States to find the submarine.
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The two countries re-approached with the victory of the right-wing president,Jair Bolsonaro, in the2018 Brazilian general election. On the first official visit of the Brazilian president to the United States in March 2019, Trump announced Brazil as amajor non-NATO ally. In May, the U.S. government, throughKimberly Breier, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, announced formal support for Brazil's entry into theOECD.[103][104][105][106]
On February 13, 2017, Trump met withCanadian Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau at the White House. Trudeau was the third world leader that Trump hosted since his inauguration as president, after the prime ministers Theresa May of the United Kingdom and Shinzo Abe of Japan.[107] At the meeting Trump claimed that he viewed the United States' relationship withCanada as being different from its relationship with Mexico, and said he only foresaw minor adjustments to the Canadian side ofNAFTA.[108] At the meeting Trump and Trudeau also discussed increased cooperation at theCanada–United States border, combating opioid abuse, clean energy, and establishing a joint council to promote women in business.[109]
In April 2017, the Trump administration took action on the longstandingCanada–United States softwood lumber dispute, raising the possibility of a trade war. Following Trump's comment that Canada's lumber trade practices are unfair, theUnited States Department of Commerce announced plans to impose a retroactive duty of 30–40% on Canadian wood shipments to the United States. Canada's minister for trade said, "Canada will not be deterred and will vigorously defend our industry."[110] The Canadian dollar fell to a 14-month low on the announcement.[111]
In June 2018, Trump imposed tariffs with 25% on Canadiansteel and 10% on Canadianaluminium. In July 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau imposed retaliatory tariffs with 25% on American steel and 10% on American aluminium.[112]
On June 20, 2019, Trump and Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau met and held "positive" talks at the White House on topics regarding ratifying theUnited States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, the detentions ofHuawei CFOMeng Wanzhou and Canadian nationalsMichael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, confronting China, and tariff negotiations. Trump called Trudeau a "friend" and, following Trudeau's trip, both Canadian and U.S. officials and media generally considered the talks constructive and helped thaw relations between the two allies, which had noticeably chilled in the early years of Trump's presidency.[113]
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During a summer 2017 meeting about immigration, Trump reportedly objected to receiving immigrants fromHaiti, reportedly saying "they all haveAIDS." The White House denied the report.[114] During a meeting with congressional leaders on January 11, 2018, Trump complained about the number of immigrants from Haiti, saying "Why do we need more Haitians, take them out."[115] He then referred to Haiti andEl Salvador, as well as unspecified African nations, as "shithole countries", although specific facts and details about these remarks were disputed.[115]
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Trump called PresidentSebastián Piñera in January 2018, months before his return toLa Moneda Palace and talked about theChile–United States Free Trade Agreement, thetax reform approved by the U.S. Senate, the2017–2018 Iranian protests, and especially on theCrisis in Venezuela.[116]
President Trump hosted President Piñera in Washington, D.C. in September 2018. They met at the White House on September 28. Chile was originally scheduled to hostAPEC 2019 where Trump planned to sign a trade deal with thePeople's Republic of China to end atrade war,[117][118][119] however the2019 Chilean protests happened. President Trump called Piñera and denounced "foreign efforts to undermine Chilean institutions, democracy, or society" and called Chile "an important ally, as it works to peacefully restore national order."[120][121][122]
Trump insisted on going to Chile before the definitive cancellation of the event saying "I know you have some difficulties at the moment in Chile. But I know the Chileans and I'm sure they'll be able to work it out... We are considering the possibility of getting ahead of schedule to sign a very important part of the agreement with China... much earlier".[123][124]
In 2020 Piñera and Trump talked about theCOVID-19 pandemic.[125]
During the 2016 campaign, Trump expressed his opposition to the restoration of full diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba achieved in July 2015.[126] Trump said that he would only restore full diplomatic relations with Cuba if the Cuban regime met his demands to restorepolitical freedoms and freepolitical prisoners.[126] This represented a shift from his position expressed in September 2015 when he said that the opening with Cuba was "fine. But we should have made a better deal."[126] Trump also said that he opposed theCuban Adjustment Act, which allows any Cuban who reaches U.S. soil to remain in the country legally and apply forUnited States permanent residency.[127]
On June 16, 2017, Trump announced that he was cancelling the Obama administration's previous deals withCuba, while also expressing hope that a new deal could be negotiated between Cuba and the United States.[128][129]
On November 1, 2018,National Security AdvisorJohn R. Bolton gave a speech inMiami in which he named Cuba as one of three countries that make up a "troika of tyranny".[130]
On January 12, 2021, Cuba was readded to theState Sponsor of Terrorism list withSecretary of StateMike Pompeo citing "repeatedly providing support for acts of international terrorism" by harboring U.S. fugitives as well as Colombian rebel leaders. Cuba's support forNicolás Maduro in thepresidential crisis, which Pompeo said had allowed the Maduro administration to maintain power and create "a permissive environment for international terrorists to live and thrive within Venezuela", was another reason for the redesignation.[131] The redesignation came just eight days before Trump's presidency ended at noon on January 20.
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In August 2019, Trump expressed interest in buyingGreenland fromDenmark. In reaction, Greenland's foreign ministry declared that the territory was not for sale.[132] Citing Denmark's reluctance to discuss any purchase, days later Trump canceled a scheduled September trip to Copenhagen.[133]
The Trump administration declaredrare-earth minerals to be vital to national security. With Chinese companies investing in mining of Greenland's abundant resources, the U.S. signed in 2019 an agreement to fund an aerial survey of mineral resources inGardar.[134]
During the campaign Trump emphasized U.S. border security andillegal immigration as signature issues.[135] He stated, "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. .... They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. Their rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."[136] He also talked about drugs and infectious diseases "pouring across the border".[137]
In campaign speeches Trump repeatedly pledged to build awall along the U.S.'s southern border, saying that Mexico would pay for its construction through increased border-crossing fees and NAFTA tariffs.[138][139][140] Trump said his proposed wall would be "a real wall. Not a toy wall like we have now."[141] After a meeting with Mexican PresidentEnrique Peña Nieto on August 31, 2016, Trump said that they "didn't discuss" who would pay for the border wall.[142] Nieto contradicted that later that day, saying that he at the start of the meeting "made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall".[143] Later that day, Trump reiterated his position that Mexico will pay to build an "impenetrable" wall on the Southern border.[144]
In 2016 Trump also threatened to impose tariffs — in the range of 15 to 35 percent — on companies that move their operations to Mexico.[145] He specifically criticized theFord Motor Co.,Carrier Corporation, andMondelez International.[146][145][147] And he condemned theNorth American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), saying that if elected president, "We will either renegotiate it, or we will break it."[63][64]
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Trump's rhetoric as a candidate and as president "cranked up the tension in US-Mexico relations to a high not seen in decades".[148] On January 25, 2017, Trump signed an executive order calling for "immediate construction of a physical wall on the southern border".[149] He reiterated that Mexico will eventually pay for the wall. Mexican PresidentEnrique Peña Nieto had been scheduled to meet with Trump at the White House on January 31. However, on January 26 Peña Nieto called off the visit, not citing a reason. The two leaders spoke by telephone on January 27. In statements afterward they acknowledged their differences on the issue and said they intend to work them out, as well as other issues such as security and trade.[150]
Polls also show 5 percent of Mexicans trust Trump's decisions and role in international affairs. The survey by thePew Research Center said 93 percent of Mexicans had "no confidence in the U.S. president to do the right thing regarding world affairs.[151]" The president's decision for a wall along the Mexican border had a proposed 2018 budget that included a request for $1.6 billion (~$1.96 billion in 2024) to begin construction. A November 2017Quinnipiac University Poll found that 64% of voters oppose building the wall and data showed only 33% supported the idea.[152]
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Funding for the border wall remained a divisive topic well into 2019, with apartial government shutdown beginning in December 2018 after Trump refused to sign a budget bill that didn't have appropriated funding for the border wall.
However, both countries manage to replace theNorth American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with theUnited States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) in 2018.
Peña Nieto's successor,Andrés Manuel López Obrador managed to have a cordial relationship with Trump, the latter also offered him his personal treatment against COVID-19 when he contracted it and they had a "pact of silence" on the border wall.[153]
Over the course of thecivil unrest in Nicaragua that started in April 2018, the Trump administration placed numerous sanctions and condemnations against PresidentDaniel Ortega and hisSandinista government for human rights abuses. The first set of sanctions took place in early July 2018 when underMagnitsky, three top Sandinista officials had their visas revoked.[154] More sanctions and condemnations rolled in after U.S. National Security AdvisorJohn Bolton named Nicaragua as part of atroika of tyranny,[155] including on November 27, 2018, when Trump issued an executive order targeting theFirst Lady and Vice President of Nicaragua and her aide Néstor Moncada Lau,[156][157] and later on December 20, 2018, when Trump signed then-Florida CongresswomanIleana Ros-Lehtinen'sNicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act (NICA) into law.[158][159]
On April 17, 2019, the Trump Administration announced sanctions on the Nicaraguan bank BANCORP and on Laureano Ortega Murillo, who is one of President Ortega's sons.[160] AfterEvo Morales' resignation in Bolivia, Trump issued a statement in reaction that Nicaragua'sDaniel Ortega and Venezuela'sNicolás Maduro regimes, both of which he viewed as illegitimate, should be warned.[161]
President Trump hosted PresidentPedro Pablo Kuczynski in Washington, D.C. in February 2017. They met at the White House on February 24 to discussissues in Latin America. Trump expressed gratitude for Peru's close relations with the United States in protecting interests in Latin America, such assanctions against Venezuela and corruption probes. Kuczynski brought up a minor purchase of military equipment from the United States for Peru. Kuczynski later recalled that Trump privately mentioned to Kuczynski that "You don't look a day over 90." Kuczynski was 79 at the time.[162]
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In August 2017, followingmonths of protests in Venezuela against PresidentNicolás Maduro and theelection of a Constituent Assembly which consolidated Maduro's power,[163] the Trump administration described the Venezuelan government as a "dictatorship".[164] Trump further stated on August 11, 2017, a week after theConstituent National Assembly was sworn in, that "Venezuela is not very far away and the people are suffering, and they are dying" and that the United States had "many options for Venezuela," including a possible "military option".[164]
At the time, Trump's advisers, including then-United States National Security AdvisorH. R. McMaster, strongly discouraging Trump from military intervention in Venezuela, explaining that Latin American governments were against foreign intervention in the region, though Trump raised some questions about the option.[165] However, when meeting with Latin American leaders during theseventy-second session of the United Nations General Assembly, Trump discussed possible United States military intervention in Venezuela, to which they all denied the idea.[165]
Following these discussions, the Trump administration instead pursuedtargeted sanctions against officials within the Venezuelan government.[165]
On January 23, 2019, during theVenezuelan presidential crisis, Venezuela broke ties with the United States following Trump's announcement of recognizingJuan Guaidó, the president of Venezuela'sNational Assembly, as the interim President of Venezuela.[166] On February 18, 2019, Trump warned members of Venezuela's military to renounce loyalty to Nicolás Maduro.[167] The U.S. continued to show support for Juan Guaidó during the attemptedApril 30 uprising.[168][169][170]
Venezuela is one of the three countries condemned in John Bolton's "Troika of Tyranny" speech in Miami.[171] Trump also issued a warning to Maduro, along withDaniel Ortega of Nicaragua, following thedownfall of Evo Morales in Bolivia.[172]
Trump's presidency led to a shift in U.S. relations with China.[174]
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During the 2016 campaign Trump accused thePeople's Republic of China (PRC) ofcurrency manipulation.[175] He pledged to carry out "swift, robust and unequivocal" action against Chinese piracy,counterfeit American goods, and theft of U.S.trade secrets andintellectual property. He also condemned China's "illegalexport subsidies and lax labor and environmental standards."[175] In January 2016, Trump proposed a 45 percenttariff onChinese exports to the United States to give "American workers a level playing field."[176][177] He dismissed possible Chinese reactions, such as sales ofU.S. bonds or instituting a trade war, as unlikely and unimportant.[178][179]
On December 2, 2016, as president-elect, he accepted a congratulatory telephone call fromPresident of the Republic of China (Taiwan)Tsai Ing-wen. That was the first such contact with Taiwan by a U.S. president-elect or president since 1979 and provoked the People's Republic of China to lodge a diplomatic protest ("stern representations").[180][181] Trump suggested he did not feel bound by America's traditional'one China' policy, considering it open to negotiation.[181]
At his confirmation hearing in January 2017, Secretary of State-designateRex Tillerson expressed strong opposition to the Chinese practice since 2014 of building artificial islands in theSouth China Sea as a way of claiming sovereignty over it, saying China should be blocked from accessing the islands. Portions of the South China Sea are claimed as territorial waters by multiple nations including the PRC, ROC, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines.[182] On January 23, 2017, White House spokesmanSean Spicer said "It's a question of if [theSpratly Islands] are in fact in international waters and not part of China proper, then yeah, we're going to make sure that we defend international territories from being taken over by one country."[183]
On taking office, the Trump administration stopped negotiations on abilateral investment treaty with China which had begun in 2008.[78]: 312 According toMichael Froman, the lead negotiator during the preceding four years, the effort to reach an agreement was "more than 90 percent complete."[78]: 312
On February 4, 2017, on a visit to Japan, U.S. Defense SecretaryJames Mattis reaffirmed Washington's commitment under theTreaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan to defending Japan, including theSenkaku Islands in theEast China Sea that are claimed by China.[184]
On February 9, 2017, Trump reaffirmed American commitment to the One-China policy in a telephone call withChinese Communist Party general secretaryXi Jinping. The call was described as cordial and as "putting an end to the extended chill" in the relationship between the two countries.[185]
In 2017, the Trump administration terminated the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) between China and the United States.[78]: 287–288 The JCCT had met annually from 1983 to 2016 and had been a generally effective mechanism to address various trade issues between the two countries.[78]: 287–288 The Trump administration also terminated theStrategic and Economic Dialogue after holding the June 2017 meeting under the name "Comprehensive Economic Dialogue".[78]: 288
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The relations significantly deteriorated in 2018 and in 2019 when Trump launched atrade war against China, banned US companies from selling equipment toHuawei, increased visa restrictions on Chinese nationality students and scholars and designated China as a "currency manipulator".[186][187][188][189]
According to a report byReuters, in 2019 the United States CIA began a clandestine campaign onChinese social media to spread negative narratives about theXi Jinping administration in an effort to influence Chinese public opinion against the government.[190] The CIA promoted narratives that Communist Party leaders were hiding money overseas and that theBelt and Road Initiative was corrupt and wasteful.[190] As part of the campaign, the CIA also targeted foreign countries where the United States and China compete for influence.[190]
On November 27, 2019, Trump signed theHong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act to impose sanctions againstMainland China andHong Kong officials considered responsible forhuman rights abuses in Hong Kong[191][192][193] The passage of the bill was supported bypro-democracy activists inHong Kong,[191] and in 2019 received near-unanimous support in Congress.[194]
On January 24, 2020, in the early stages of theCOVID-19 pandemic, Trump tweeted that "China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency."[195] Trump later referred to the coronavirus as "Chinese virus".[196] During an April 15 White House news conference, Trump said the U.S. government is trying to determine if the COVID-19 virus emanated from theWuhan Institute of Virology.[197][198]
By May 2020 relations had reached a new low as both sides were accusing the other of guilt for the worldwide coronavirus epidemic. Washington mobilized a campaign of investigations, prosecutions and export restrictions. Beijing stepped up military activities in the contested South China Sea, and launched denunciations of American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Chinese officials have publicly speculated that the American military deliberately unleashed the virus in China. American polls show the public had increasingly negative views of China.[199]
On June 17, 2020, Trump signed theUyghur Human Rights Policy Act,[200] which authorizes the imposition of U.S. sanctions against Chinese government officials responsible fordetention camps holding more than 1 million members of the country'sUyghurMuslim minority.[201][202]
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On July 9, 2020, the Trump administration imposed sanctions and visa restrictions against senior Chinese officials, includingChen Quanguo,Zhu Hailun, Wang Mingshan (王明山) and Huo Liujun (霍留军). With sanctions, they and their immediate relatives are barred from entering the US and will have US-based assets frozen.[203] The sanction is based on the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act.
On July 14, 2020, Trump signed theHong Kong Autonomy Act, which is sanctioning Chinese officials and entities for China's "repressive actions" against the people of Hong Kong, and issued an executive order ending the territory's preferential treatment by the U.S.; The law authorizes the State and Treasury departments to impose sanctions on those involved in imposing the Hong Kong security law, and also targeted banks involved in significant transactions with offenders.[204][205][206]
On July 22, 2020, the US government ordered Chinese diplomats to close theChinese Consulate-General in Houston and vacate within 72 hours, triggering a diplomatic backlash from Chinese officials. Boston College political scientistRobert S. Ross said that the Trump "administration would like to fully decouple from China. No trade, no cultural exchanges, no political exchanges, no cooperation on anything that resembles common interests."[207] Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesmanWang Wenbin issued a statement in response requesting the U.S. to reverse the closure, threatening reciprocal actions otherwise.[208] With the US not backing down on its earlier directive, on July 24, Chinese authorities order the closure of theU.S. Consulate-General in Chengdu.[209] The White House urged China later on that day to not engage in "tit-for-tat retaliation".[210]
On July 23, 2020,United States Secretary of StateMike Pompeo announced the end of what he called "blind engagement" with the Chinese government. He also criticizedChinese Communist Partygeneral secretaryXi Jinping[173] as "a true believer in a bankrupt totalitarian ideology."[211]
In August 2020,Carrie Lam and ten otherHong Kong government officials were sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury under an executive order for undermining Hong Kong's autonomy.[212][213][214] The sanction is based on the Hong Kong Autonomy Act and Lam would be listed in theSpecially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.
On August 9, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services SecretaryAlex Azar visited Taiwan to meet PresidentTsai Ing-wen, the first visit by an American official since the break in diplomatic relations between Washington and Taipei in 1979.[215]
On August 13, 2020, U.S. Department of State designated theConfucius Institute U.S. Center as a foreign mission of the PRC, "recognizing CIUS for what it is: an entity advancing Beijing's global propaganda and malign influence campaign on U.S. campuses and K-12 classrooms. Confucius Institutes are funded by the PRC and part of the Chinese Communist Party's global influence and propaganda apparatus."[216]
On September 22, 2020, Trump mentioned during the75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly that "China locked down travel domestically while allowing flights to leave China and infect the world" in regard toCOVID-19 pandemic, then he added, "The Chinese government and theWorld Health Organization — which is virtually controlled by China — falsely declared that there was no evidence ofhuman-to-human transmission." He also accused China that it "dumps millions and millions of tons of plastic and trash into the oceans, overfishes other countries' waters, destroys vast swaths of coral reef, and emits more toxic mercury into the atmosphere than any country anywhere in the world.China's carbon emissions are nearly twice what the U.S."[217]
In December 2020, theNew York Times reported that President Trump received uncorroborated intelligence that China had paid bounties toTaliban-linked militants for killing U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. According to the New York Times it is unclear whether the intelligence on China shows that any bounties were paid, or whether any attacks on American personnel were even attempted. The Times mentioned that United States intelligence agencies collect enormous amounts of information, much of which turns out to be false or misleading.[218]
On January 20, 2021, China imposed sanctions against outgoing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former secretary of health and human servicesAlex Azar, former under secretary of stateKeith J. Krach, outgoing US ambassador to the United NationsKelly Craft, and 24 other former Trump officials.[219] Biden's National Security Council called the sanctions "unproductive and cynical".[220] In his nomination hearing, Blinken endorsed Pompeo's report that China is committing agenocide against Uyghur Muslims, reaffirming Biden's campaign stance.[221]
Trump's Chinapolicies have been largely continued by the subsequent President,Joe Biden.[78]: 148
During the 2016 election campaign, Trump accused Japan of unfair trade practices, "taking our jobs", and of currency manipulation. He suggested Japan should pay the U.S. for its military presence in Japan, and at one point suggested that Japan should develop nuclear weapons to defend itself against North Korea.[222]
Japanese Prime MinisterShinzō Abe met with President-elect Trump atTrump Tower shortly after his election victory – the first foreign leader to do so. He said Trump was "a leader in whom I can have confidence". However, after the meeting Trump continued to complain about Japan's currency and its auto industry.[222]
In January 2017, Trump formally renounced theTrans-Pacific Partnership, in which Japan would have been a key player, but left open the option of bilateral trade negotiations.[223]
During a visit to Japan in January 2017, Defense Secretary Mattis reaffirmed that the U.S. was committed to the defense of Japan.[222]
Trump and Abe met at the White House in February 2017, followed by a Florida golf excursion. Trump promised to strengthen ties between the two nations and said the U.S. is committed to the security of Japan, saying that the alliance between the two countries is "the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Pacific region".[223]
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During the 2016 campaign Trump said that he would be willing to meetNorth Korean supreme leaderKim Jong Un, whom he described as a "maniac" who also deserves credit for being able to overcome his rivals in order to succeedhis father.[224][225] He indicated that he did not want to get involved in any conflict between North andSouth Korea, an attitude which resulted in an editorial in the North Korean state media that hailed him as a "wise politician" and a "far-sighted presidential candidate" who could be good for North Korea.[226] In the wake of theJanuary 2016 North Korean nuclear test Trump advocated placing greater pressure on China to rein in its ally North Korea.[227][228] During the campaign and the early months of his presidency, he said he hoped that China would help to rein in North Korea's nuclear ambitions and missile tests.[229]
Tensions increased in April 2017, when speaking before a visit fromChinese leaderXi Jinping, Trump said, "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will."[44] On April 8, 2017, the US Navy sent a strike group to the Western Pacific from Singapore, which led to the North Korean government warning of a possible war.[230] However, the strike group headed south for scheduled training exercises with theAustralian navy but would go to the Korean peninsula the following week.[231][232] On April 16Vice PresidentMike Pence visited South Korea, viewedthe Demilitarized Zone which separates North from South Korea, and similarly warned that the U.S. "era of strategic patience" toward North Korea's nuclear and missile programs is over.[229]
Two months later, on June 17, North Korea released American captiveOtto Warmbier. Secretary of StateRex Tillerson said that the State Department had secured Warmbier's release at the direction of Trump, and they would seek the release of three other imprisoned Americans in North Korea.[233][a][45]
InJuly 2017, North Korea tested two long-range missiles, identified by Western observers asintercontinental ballistic missiles potentially capable of reachingAlaska,Hawaii, and thecontiguous United States.[235][236] In August, Trump significantly escalated his rhetoric against North Korea, saying that further provocation against the U.S. will be met with "fire and fury like the world has never seen."[237] According toNew York Times correspondentMichael S. Schmidt, Trump proposed using a nuclear weapon against North Korea and blaming the attack on another country, but was dissuaded byJohn F. Kelly.[238]
In March 2018, a South Korean delegation to the White House gave Trump a message from Kim, suggesting a meeting between Kim and Trump.[239] The South Koreans said Kim was willing to talk about his nuclear and missile programs. Trump immediately accepted the invitation to meet "at a place and time to be determined."[240]
Regarding the subsequent correspondence from Kim between April 2018 and August 2019,[241] former national security adviser John Bolton believes the letters were written by someone in the "agitprop bureau" and not by Kim himself.[242]
On May 10, it was announced that the meeting would take place on June 12 in Singapore.[243] As a gesture of good will, Kim freed three U.S. citizens being held in North Korean prisons.[244] However, as the time neared, North Korean officials failed to meet with their American counterparts to plan the meeting.[245] On May 24, Trump called off the meeting, citing what he perceived as "tremendous anger and open hostility" in North Korea's most recent statement.[245] A few days later planning for the meeting was resumed.
On June 12, 2018, after several rounds of preliminary staff-level meetings,Trump and Kim met at a hotel in Singapore.[246] They talked one-on-one with only interpreters present, then had a working lunch along with staff and advisors.[247] They signed a joint statement agreeing to new peaceful relations, security guarantees for North Korea, reaffirmation of North Korea's promise to work toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, recovery of soldiers' remains, and follow-up negotiations between high-level officials.[248] At a follow-up press conference, Trump announced that the U.S. will stop holding joint military exercises with South Korea, calling them "provocative".[249] Immediately after the summit, Trump declared, "there is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea."[250]
A January 2019 American intelligence community assessment found that North Korea was unlikely to relinquish its nuclear arsenal, directly contradicting a core tenet of Trump's stated foreign policy.[251]
In late February 2019, Trump met with Chairman Kim Jong-un at asummit inHanoi for talks. On February 28, the White House announced that the summit was called off after negotiations with the North Koreans failed to reach an agreement.[252]
Following the2019 G20 Osaka summit, Trump arranged for ameeting with Chairman Kim at the Korean Demilitarized Zone alongside South Korean PresidentMoon Jae-in. The one-daytrilateral summit at the DMZ was held on June 30, in which Trump became the first U.S. president to set foot on North Korean soil while in office.[253] Trump and Kim also pledged to jump-start negotiations over North Korea's nuclear program after talks collapsed during the February 2019 Hanoi summit.[254] Subsequent October 2019 talks inStockholm quickly broke down in recriminations, with the DPRK accusing the United States of a "hostile policy".[255] There were no further known talks between the nations during the Trump presidency.[256] By 2020, North Korea's nuclear arsenal had reportedly increased to levels far larger than it was prior to the 2018 Singapore summit.[250][257]
Trump and Moon met at the White House in June 2017 to discusstrade relations andNorth Korean missile programs.[258]
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During the 2016 campaign Trump spoke favorably of Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and expressed a desire for a closer alliance with India.[259] He told a campaign rally ofIndian-Americans that under his administration, relations with India would be "the best ever".[260] Trump and Modi met at the White House in June 2017, reaffirming the strong partnership between the two nations, especially in defense, maritime security and counterterrorism.[261]
He cited the relations as one of the most important in this century as he made agrand visit in February 2020 right before the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic.[262]
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During the 2016 campaign, Trump said Pakistan is "the most dangerous country in the world" and should denuclearize.[263] But according to the Pakistan government, in a cordial post-election telephone conversation with Pakistan's Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif, Trump lavished praise on Pakistan and its "fantastic" people, said he would love to visit the country, and offered to help Pakistan solve any outstanding problems.[264]
After taking office, Trump indicated that Pakistan will be among the countries whose citizens will have to go through an "extreme vetting" process before entering the United States.[265] On July 2, 2019,State Department designatedBaloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group that aims to separateBalochistan from Pakistan, as a terrorist organization.[266]
U.S.-Philippines relations had taken a turn for the worse with theelection of Philippine PresidentRodrigo Duterte in June 2016. Duterte expressed strong hostility toward then-President Barack Obama and threatened to sever the long-standing ties between the two countries due to the latter's criticism on the issue of human rights in Duterte's policy on thewar on drugs. On December 2, 2016, President-elect Trump accepted a congratulatory call from Duterte. A statement from the Trump team said the two leaders "noted the long history of friendship and cooperation between the two nations, and agreed that the two governments would continue to work together closely on matters of shared interest and concern". Duterte claimed afterward that Trump had praised Duterte's controversial "war on drugs", which had killed thousands of people without trial, and that Trump said the Philippines are "doing it as a sovereign nation, the right way."[267]
According to a report byReuters, in 2020 the Trump administration began a U.S. military-runpropaganda campaign to spreaddisinformation about theSinovac Chinese COVID-19 vaccine.[268] The campaign was described as "payback" forCOVID-19 disinformation by China directed against the U.S.[269] Primarily targeting people in thePhilippines, the campaign used fake social media accounts to spread disinformation, including that the Sinovac vaccine contained pork-derived ingredients and was thereforeharam underIslamic law.[268] The primary contractor on the project wasGeneral Dynamics IT, which received $493 million for its role.[268] The Biden administration ended the campaign in 2021.[268]
In 2019,Greece and the United States signed a reviseddefense pact, which American officials described as critical to responding to security challenges in theEastern Mediterranean Sea. The deal provides for increasing joint U.S.-Greece and NATO activity atLarissa,Stefanovikio, andAlexandroupoli as well as infrastructure and other improvements at theCrete Naval Base.[270][271]
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In their first telephone call, President Trump told French PresidentFrançois Hollande that he "loved France" and that there was "no more beautiful country than France".[272] However, in his 2017CPAC speech, Trump said, "France is no longer France" due to terrorism.[272][273] In response, President Hollande said allies should not criticize each other,[273] and he invited him to visitDisneyland Paris.[272]
In advance of the2017 French presidential election Trump was reported to have expressed support forMarine Le Pen, calling her the "strongest candidate", although he did not explicitly endorse her.[274] However, when meeting with newly elected French presidentEmmanuel Macron in Brussels in May 2017 he said to Macron "you were my guy", stating that media reports had been wrong.[275]
Trump honored the invitation of French president Emmanuel Macron to attend the annualBastille Day Military Parade on July 14, 2017, in Paris.[276]
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American relations with Germany have worsened under President Trump, especially regarding trade and NATO.[277] During the 2016 campaign Trump was critical of German chancellorAngela Merkel and her handling of theEuropean migrant crisis, saying "Everyone thought she was a really great leader and now she's turned out to be this catastrophic leader. And she'll be out if they don't have a revolution."[278] In July 2016, German Foreign MinisterFrank-Walter Steinmeier stated that he was concerned about what he sees as Trump's contradictory promises to "make America strong again" while simultaneously reducing involvement overseas.[279] Steinmeier said that Trump's proposed policies "would be dangerous not only for the United States, but for Europe and the rest of the world as well".[279]
After becoming president, Trump met with Merkel at the White House on March 17, 2017. The meeting was described as "awkward"; Trump failed to shake hands with Merkel for a photo op, and he made a jokeabout wiretapping which fell flat.[280][281] The two "politely disagreed on everything from immigration to free trade and the value of seeking multinational agreements."[282] The next day Trump tweeted, "Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!"[283][284] He also tried to get Merkel to talk about bilateral trade issues, but she pointed out that EU members only negotiate as a unit.[285]
In May 2017, at a meeting with European leaders in Brussels, Trump denounced Germany concerning the trade deficit as "bad, very bad", adding "Look at the millions of cars they sell in the US. Terrible. We will stop this." He threatened to impose a 35% tax on German car imports.[285] A few days later Merkel suggested that Germany and Europe can no longer fully rely on the United States; and saying "we Europeans must really take our destiny into our own hands", also hinting to thedecision by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. However she underlined the importance of friendly relations with the United States, the United Kingdom as well as Russia.[286]
In late July 2020, the Trump administration announced its intentions to disperse 12,000 American troops from Germany and move the headquarters ofU.S. European Command (EUCOM) from Germany toBelgium in a major repositioning of forces, reportedly because Germany was not spending enough on its defense budget. Of the U.S. troops stationed in Germany, 6,400 will also return to the United States. Another 5,400 will be moved to other locations in Europe that already house American troops but pay less of a percentage of its GDP than that of Germany.[287][288]
On May 24, 2017,Pope Francis met with Trump inVatican City where they discussed the contributions ofCatholics to the United States and to the world. Trump and the Pope discussed issues of mutual concern including how religious communities can combat human suffering in crisis regions, such asIraq,Syria,Libya, andISIL-controlled territory. Trump and Pope Francis also discussedterrorism and the radicalization of young people.
TheVatican's secretary of state,Pietro Parolin, raised the issue ofclimate change in the meeting and encouraged Trump to remain in theParis Agreement.[289]
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The Trump administration's approach towardsViktor Orbán's "illiberal"[290] right-wingFideszgovernment had been supportive, but, according toThe Guardian, "ineffective" in advancing American interests.[291]
Italy was the firstEuropean country to be visited by Trump. He went to Italy in May 2017, during his first presidential trip outside theU.S.[292] During his trip to Italy, Trump held a bilateral meeting withPope Francis;[293] and met Italian PresidentSergio Mattarella and Prime MinisterPaolo Gentiloni. Gentiloni was also hosted by Trump at theWhite House in April 2017, a few weeks before Trump took part in the43rd G7 summit held in Italy.[294] Trump often stated that Italy is a "key ally of America inEurope and theMediterranean Sea and a strategic partner in theWar on Terrorism."[295]
In June 2018, Gentiloni was replaced byGiuseppe Conte, a populist politician, who built a close relationship with Trump. Since the beginning of Conte's government, Trump considered him a key ally during international meetings,[296] and Conte offered to be a "privileged interlocutor" in Europe.[297] On June 8 and 9, duringG7 summit, Conte was the only leader to back Trump and his proposal to readmit Russia into the G7.[298] On the following day, Conte was thanked for his positions on Russia and his populist stance by Trump, who invited him to theWhite House.[299] On June 28, Conte participated in his firstEuropean Council meeting and blocked a joint EU trade and defense statement criticizing Trump's tariff policy.[300]
In June 2018, Trump praised Conte, describing him as a "really great leader" and "very strong on immigration".[301] Trump also endorsed Conte during the2019 government crisis, hoping that he could remain Prime Minister.[302] On March 31, 2020, Trump announced that theUnited States would send 100 million dollars of medical aids to Italy, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which was affecting the country.[303] After few days, during an interview at theNBC, Conte described Trump as "Italy's most true and loyal friend".[304] On April 11, Trump issued anexecutive order in which he allowed U.S. militaries deployed in Italy to assistItalian law enforcement in facing the crisis.[305]
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On October 4, 2019, Trump appointedRichard Grenell as Special Presidential Envoy forSerbia and Kosovo Peace Negotiations.[306] After months of diplomatic talks, facilitated by Grenell, on January 20, 2020, Serbia and Kosovo agreed to restore flights between their capitals for the first time in more than two decades.[307][308] The Trump administration initiated diplomatic negotiations that resulted in the2020 Kosovo and Serbia economic agreements on thenormalisation of economic relations, which was signed by Serbian PresidentAleksandar Vučić and Kosovan Prime MinisterAvdullah Hoti, at the White House, in the presence of President Trump on September 4, 2020.[92] The deal will encompass freer transit, including by rail and road, while both parties agreed to work with theExport–Import Bank of the United States and theU.S. International Development Finance Corporation and to join theMini Schengen Zone, but the agreement also included the relocation of the Serbian embassy to Jerusalem, as well as, and mutual recognitionbetween Israel and Kosovo.[309][310]
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During the Trump administration,Poland and the United States continued to exhibit warm military, diplomatic, and economic bilateral relations. This was bolstered by the broadly sharedneo-nationalist values between President Donald Trump and Polish PresidentAndrzej Duda, along with Poland's desire for strengthened military ties with the United States in order to counterRussian influence in Europe, particularly following the 2014Russian annexation of Crimea.[311]
In July 2017, in his second foreign trip, President Trump visited Poland where he met with the President Andrzej Duda.[312][313] He also said: "Our strong alliance withPoland andNATO remains critical to deterring conflict and ensuring that war between great powers never again ravagesEurope, and that the world will be a safer and better place. America is committed to maintaining peace and security inCentral and Eastern Europe".[312] Trump says the U.S. stands firmly behindNATO's Article 5, which says an attack against one member is attack against all.[313]
Trump describedPoland as a long-time U.S. ally that is "an example for others who seek freedom and who wish to summon the courage and the will to defend our civilization."[314] He also attended in theThree Seas Initiative summit 2017 in Warsaw.Razem, a Polish left-wing political party, organized a protest against Trump. Protesters were dressed as handmaids fromMargaret Atwood's dystopian novelThe Handmaid's Tale, as a symbol ofwomen's rights being endangered both inPoland and theUnited States.[315][316][317][318]
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In June 2019, during a trip to the United States to celebrate the 20th anniversary ofPoland's membership in NATO and the 30th anniversary ofcommunism's downfall in the country, Duda visited theWhite House where he and Trump signed a joint defense agreement to increase military cooperation. According to the agreement, which Trump called a "statement" on the relationship between the two countries, Poland will pay for an additional 1,000 U.S. troops to be stationed in Poland on a rotational basis. The force will be apportioned from the 52,000-strong contingent of U.S. forces in Germany and will include special operations troops, drones and other military hardware. In a separate deal, Poland ordered 32F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. Trump celebrated the agreement with two F-35 jets conductingflybys over the White House in a rare U.S. military display.[319][320]
On that day, Polish state-owned natural gas companyPGNiG signed an agreement with U.S. company Venture Global LNG to buy 1.5 million metric tons ofliquefied natural gas per year as part of an initiative to seek alternative supplies of gas other than Russia'sGazprom. The deal is seen as part of the Trump administration's "energy dominance" economic policy, in which the U.S. slashes domestic regulations on energy production to boost oil and gas exports to allies and trade partners, such as Poland, serving as an alternative to Russian gas pipelines.[321]
On June 24, 2020, Trump said at a press conference with Polish President Duda that the United States plans to move someU.S. troops from Germany to Poland.[322][323] Trump said that "Poland is one of the few countries that are fulfilling their obligations underNATO — in particular, their monetary obligations — and they asked us if we would send some additional troops."[324]
Trump praised Russian PresidentVladimir Putin repeatedly over a series of years.[325]
During the 2016 campaign, Trump's praise of Vladimir Putin blossomed into what many observers termed a "bromance".[325] In particular, Trump praised Putin as a "strong leader" and said that he expected to "get along very well" with Putin. Trump often described Putin as "a better leader" than Obama.[325] Putin praised Trump as "a very bright and talented man, no doubt about that", and Trump claimed Putin called him a "genius", a mischaracterization based on an incorrect translation.[326][327][328] When asked about allegations that Putin haskilled journalists and political opponents, Trump brushed them off, implying that the United States has done the same thing.[325][329]
Trump hinted that he would consider recognizingCrimea as Russian territory and lifting thesanctions on Russia that were imposed after Russia beganmilitary invention in an attempt to undermine the new, pro-WesternUkrainian government.[330] He suggested that the "people of Crimea ... would rather be with Russia".[331] It had been suggested that these policies were influenced by advisors who were sympathetic to Russian influence in Ukraine, includingPaul Manafort,Carter Page,Henry Kissinger,[332] andMichael T. Flynn.[333] Manafort in particular was strongly connected toViktor Yanukovych, the pro-Russian president of Ukraine who was deposed in the2014 Ukrainian revolution.[334][335][336]
Trump also said that Russia could help the United States infighting the ISIS terror organization.[337]
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In Trump's first 60-minute telephone call with Russian President Putin, Putin inquired about extendingNew STARTnuclear arms reduction treaty between the U.S. and Russia, negotiated by PresidentBarack Obama in 2010. Trump attacked the treaty, claiming that it favored Russia and was "one of several bad deals negotiated by the Obama administration".[338]
On February 6, 2017, talking toBill O'Reilly onFox News, Trump questioned the veracity of O'Reilly's claim that ″within 24 hours of you on the phone with the Russian leader, the pro-Russian forcesstep[ed] up the violence in Ukraine″. He said he ″respected″ Putin and dismissed O'Reilly's statement that Putin was a ″killer″,[339][340] which promptedCNN to opine that Trump had "appeared to equate U.S. actions with theauthoritarian regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin."[341]
As Trump'sNational Security Advisor, Michael T. Flynn was an important link in the connections between Putin and Trump in the "Ukraine peace plan", an unofficial plan "organized outside regular diplomatic channels....at the behest of top aides to President Putin". This plan, aimed at easing thesanctions imposed on Russia, progressed from Putin and his advisors to Ukrainian politicianAndrey Artemenko,Felix Sater,Michael Cohen, and Flynn, where he would have then presented it to Trump.The New York Times reported that Sater delivered the plan "in a sealed envelope" to Cohen, who then passed it on to Flynn in February 2017, just before his resignation.[333]
In February 2017, following his first meeting with his Russian counterpartSergey Lavrov, Secretary of StateRex Tillerson said that the U.S. expected Russia to "honor its commitment to theMinsk agreements and work to de-escalate the violence in Ukraine".[342] On the same day Secretary of DefenseJames Mattis, declared that the United States was not currently prepared to collaborate with Russia on military matters, including future anti-ISIL US operations.[343]
Michael Isikoff ofYahoo! News reported in June 2017 that during the early weeks of the Trump administration, State Department employees were told to develop proposals to lift the sanctions which had been imposed on Russia after its military incursions intoUkraine and its interference in the November election. No action or return would be expected from Russia in return for removing the sanctions.[344] The proposals were dropped after resistance from State Department employees and a realization that such an action would look bad politically in light of the investigations into a Russia connection to the Trump campaign. A former State Department employee who retired in February said, "What was troubling about these stories is that suddenly I was hearing that we were preparing to rescind sanctions in exchange for, well, nothing."[345]
According to a poll conducted by the SSRS, approximately 70% of Americans find that the federal investigation into Russia's efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election in the US should be able to look into President Donald Trump's finances. 60% of those polled view this as a serious matter that should be fully investigated, and it was recorded that 38% view it as a way to discredit the Presidency of Donald Trump.[346] In an approximate two-to-one margin, those polled disapprove of the way the President is dealing the Russian investigation. According to the bookThe Madman Theory byCNN anchorJim Sciutto,Susan M. Gordon the former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence stated that Trump downplayed Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election and refused to devote the necessary resources to defend against it in the future. She went on to say that Trump had a "disproportionate affection for Russia".[347]
On August 2, 2017, Trump signed into law theCountering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which imposed new sanctions on Russia.[348]
As president, Trump continued to advocate for U.S.-Russia cooperation against theIslamic State terror organization. At his first direct meeting and encounter with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he approved a collaborative plan for a limited cease-fire in theSyrian civil war.[349]
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Trump met with Putin at asummit inHelsinki on July 16, 2018. The two leaders spoke one-on-one for two hours, with no aides or other people present except for two translators.[350] There was no definite agenda, and no definite agreements were announced. After a joint press conference at the conclusion of the meeting, Trump drew harsh bipartisan criticism in the United States for appearing to side with Putin's denial of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, rather than accepting the findings of theUnited States intelligence community.[351][352] Universally condemned by Democrats, his comments were also strongly criticized by many congressional Republicans and most media commentators, even those who normally support him.[353][354]
Amid continuing growth ofChina's missile forces, Trump announced in October 2018 that he was withdrawing the U.S. from theIntermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty due to supposed Russian non-compliance,[355] a move criticized by the formerSoviet leaderMikhail Gorbachev, who signed the treaty in 1987 with U.S. PresidentRonald Reagan.[356]
On May 3, 2019, Trump held an hour and a half-long phone call with President Putin from the White House. TheRussian Embassy stated that the pair discussed "shared commitment to step up dialogue in various areas, including on issues ofstrategic stability." Trump called the conversation "positive" and tweeted there was "Tremendous potential for a good/great relationship with Russia," and later relayed to reporters Putin's assurances that Russia isn't seeking to "get involved" with the ongoing2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, despite Trump's national security advisors saying otherwise. They also discussed North Korean missile activity, with Putin briefing Trump on theApril 25 meetings with North Korean leaderKim Jong-un. Trump and Putin agreed on the importance ofdenuclearization and normalization of relations on theKorean peninsula. TheMueller report documented the results of a domestic U.S.investigation into many suspiciouslinks between Trump associates and Russian officials.[357]
In June 2019, theNew York Times reported that hackers from theUnited States Cyber Command planted malware potentially capable of disrupting theRussian electrical grid.[359] According toWired senior writerAndy Greenberg, "The Kremlin warned that the intrusions could escalate into a cyberwar between the two countries."[359]
During the2019 G7 summit in France, Trump unilaterally advocated forRussia's membership to G7 to be reinstated and said he intended to invite Vladimir Putin to the2020 G7 summit, set to be held in the U.S. Trump also shifted some blame for Russia's 2014Crimea annexation to his predecessor PresidentBarack Obama, saying Obama "was pure and simply outsmarted." "It could have been stopped...but President Obama was unable to stop it, and it's too bad," he added.[360]
Trump said theNord Stream 2gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, owned by Russia'sGazprom, could turn Germany into a "hostage of Russia".[361] Businesses involved in the Nord Stream 2 have been sanctioned by the Trump administration with the passing of theNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 on December 20, 2019.[362]
In June 2020, theNew York Times reported that Russian military intelligence had paidbounties toTaliban-linked insurgents for killing U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.[363] Trump, his Director of National IntelligenceJohn Ratcliffe, and National Security AdviserRobert O'Brien said that Trump had not been briefed "because it was unverified intelligence",[364][365] but it was later reported that Trump received a written briefing on possible Russian bounties in a February 2020President's Daily Brief, a document that Trump often does not read.[366] In subsequent conservations with Putin, Trump never raised the reports of the bounty program, saying "that's an issue that many people said was fake news."[367] Some White House officials were aware of the bounty reports by early 2019.[368]
The inclusion of the bounty reports in thePresident's Daily Brief and (in May 2020) in the CIA's classifiedWorld Intelligence Review intelligence compilation demonstrated that the reports, gleaned in part from information collected in raids and interrogations of capturedIslamist militants in theWar in Afghanistan, was seen as credible by U.S. intelligence officials.[366] TheNational Security Agency (NSA), which focuses on electronic intelligence-gathering and had been skeptical of human sources, "strongly dissented" from the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency assessments that the bounty plot is credible and real.[366][369][370]
After the National Security Council convened a meeting on the matter in late March 2020, the White House officials were presented with a number of options, including making a diplomatic protest and imposing sanctions, but Trump did not authorize any action.[366][368] GeneralKenneth McKenzie, the commander ofU.S. Central Command, said that he found no "causative link" between reported bounties to actual U.S. military deaths.[371]Defense SecretaryMark Esper and top military officials mostly played down reports of a bounty program; although the military's investigation remained open as of late December 2020.[371][372][373]
On July 1, 2020, following media reports of Taliban participation in an alleged Russian bounty program, theHouse Armed Services Committee overwhelmingly voted in favor of an amendment to theNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (2021 NDAA) to restrict Trump's ability towithdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan.[374][375] In a provision of an omnibus appropriations bill enacted in December 2020, Congress pressed the military to further investigate the reports on "Russia's malign activities in Afghanistan" and provide a report to Congress.[373]
In April 2021, after Trump's term ended, the U.S. government reported that the U.S. intelligence community only had "low to moderate confidence" in the bounty program allegations.[376]
Amid the2017–2018 Spanish constitutional crisis, duringSpanish Prime MinisterMariano Rajoy's visit to the White House, Trump said on September 26, 2017, that the United States opposed theCatalan independence movement, saying that separation would be "foolish" and that "Spain is a great country, and it should remain united".[377]
On October 27 of the same year, theParliament of Catalonia approved theunilateral declaration of independence, the U.S. State Department stated: "Catalonia is an integral part of Spain, and the United States supports the Spanish government's constitutional measures to keep Spain strong and united".[378]
Speaking to the Yalta European Strategy conference in September 2015, Trump criticized Germany and otherEuropean countries for not doing enough to support Ukraine in itsconflict with Russia, saying,Ukrainians are "not being treated right."[379] However early in the campaign Trump opposed U.S. involvement in theRusso-Ukrainian war, describing Crimea as "Europe's problem;" in a rally in July 2016 he implied that such involvement could have led toWorld War III and criticized Germany and other European countries for not doing more to support Ukraine.[380][381] Later in the campaign, however, he stated that he would considerrecognizing Crimea as Russian territory.[382][331] In February 2017 Trump explained that Crimea was taken by Russia by force and asked whether Obama was too soft on Russia.[383]
In August 2015, Trump stated he had no opinion aboutUkrainian membership in NATO, saying that both membership and non-membership would be "great".[379][384]
Since at least May 2019, Trump's personal attorneyRudy Giuliani had been pushing forVolodymyr Zelensky, the newly elected president of Ukraine, to investigate the oil companyBurisma, whose board of directors includesJoe Biden's sonHunter, as well as to check if there were any irregularities in the Ukrainian investigation ofPaul Manafort. He said such investigations would be beneficial to his client, Trump, and that his efforts had Trump's full support.[385] Giuliani met with Ukrainian officials to press this case in June 2019 and August 2019.[386] Meanwhile, theWhite House put a hold on the distribution of $250 million worth of military aid to Ukraine which Congress had authorized. On September 11 the administration said it had released the money, even as Congress was contemplating bills to force its release.[387]
In September 2019, as reports surfaced of a whistleblower complaint against Trump that may have involved Ukraine, Giuliani conceded he had been pressing the Ukrainian government to investigate the Biden connection.[388] In a later tweet he seemed to confirm reports that Trump had withheld the military assistance funds for Ukraine as a way of forcing them to carry out the investigations.[389] He said, "The reality is that the President of the United States, whoever he is, has every right to tell the president of another country you better straighten out the corruption in your country if you want me to give you a lot of money. If you're so damn corrupt that you can't investigate allegations – our money is going to get squandered."[390]
Trump himselfspoke to Zelensky by phone on July 25, 2019, and according toThe Wall Street Journal he urged Zelensky "about eight times" to work with Giuliani and investigate Biden's son.[386] On September 25, the administration released the White House's five-page, declassified memorandum of the July 25 phone call, which shows Trump repeatedly pressing Zelensky to work with Giuliani and U.S. Attorney GeneralWilliam Barr on investigations into theBiden family as well as the cybersecurity companyCrowdStrike.[391][392]
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During the 2016 campaign, Trump stated his support forBritish voters voting to leave the European Union.[395] In an interview withPiers Morgan in May 2016, Trump said that UK withdrawal would make no difference to a potential bilateral trade deal between the United Kingdom and the United States if he became president.[396]
On January 27, 2017, Trump met withBritish Prime MinisterTheresa May, the first foreign leader to visit him at the White House. In the meeting Trump reiterated his support for both countries' involvement inNATO.[107]
In March 2017, White House press secretarySean Spicer repeated a false claim fromFox News commentatorAndrew Napolitano claiming that the BritishGCHQ hadwiretapped Trump Tower. This drew an angry response from theBritish government, and eventually resulted in an apology from Spicer and the U.S. National Security AdvisorH. R. McMaster.[397]
In November 2017, Trump re-tweeted threeIslamophobic videos posted byJayda Fransen, a leader of theBritish far-right partyBritain First.[398][399] Theresa May's spokesperson condemned Trump, saying "The British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far-right, which is the antithesis of the values that this country represents — decency, tolerance and respect. It is wrong for the President to have done this."[398] Labour leaderJeremy Corbyn called Trump "abhorrent, dangerous and a threat to our country".[399]
In July 2018, Trump met with QueenElizabeth II atWindsor Castle.[400]
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In June 2019, Trump made astate visit to the UK on behalf of invitation by Queen Elizabeth II.[401]
On July 7, weeks after Trump's state visit to the UK, leakeddiplomatic cables revealed candid and unflattering assessmentsUK AmbassadorKim Darroch made regarding Trump and his administration since 2017, including calling Trump's presidency "diplomatically clumsy and inept" and stating that the president "radiates insecurity," along with suggesting that unproven claims of Trump and his son-in-lawJared Kushner being indebted "to shady Russian moneymen" could "not be ruled out".[402]
Trump subsequently tweeted that Darroch was "not liked or well thought of within the US" and that "we will no longer deal with him" and showed dismay at Prime Minister Theresa May's support of Darroch amidst the diplomatic row. On July 10, Darroch tendered his resignation, writing that "the current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like". A spokesman for the prime minister said that it was an ambassador's job to provide "an honest and unvarnished view" of the U.S. administration.[403] Darroch did not leave his post until 2020.
In July 2019, May was replaced byBoris Johnson, a populist politician, who built a close relationship with Trump.
On November 18, 2019, Secretary Pompeo ratified a treaty with the UK signed in 2003 for the protection of thewreck of theRMSTitanic. UK Maritime MinisterNus Ghani said the UK would work with other North Atlantic countries, like Canada and France, to bring "even more protection" to Titanic.[404][405]
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On August 21, 2017, Trump stated that he wanted to expand the American presence in Afghanistan, without giving details on how.[406] Trump did not formulate any deadlines or specific purposes to be met, only stating that a U.S. withdrawal was no option now because it would play into the hands of terrorists and put at risk the safety of the U.S. and its allies.[407] Trump said that presently 20 U.S.-designated terrorist organizations are active in Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, according toBarkha Dutt ofThe Washington Post, this statement contradicted the official U.S. government list, which only lists 13 such organizations there.[408]Taliban spokesmanZabiullah Mujahid condemned Trump's speech: "It looks like America does not want to put an end to its longest war and instead of realizing the realities, is still arrogant on its might and force".[408]
On September 19, 2017, the Trump administration deployed another 3,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan. This added to the approximately 11,000 U.S. troops already serving in Afghanistan, bringing the total to at least 14,000 U.S. troops stationed in the country.[409]
On February 5, 2019, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to rebuke Trump for his decisions towithdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan. Drafted by majority leaderMitch McConnell, the measure was supported by nearly all Republicans.[410]
On February 29, 2020, the Trump administration signed theDoha Agreement, a conditional peace agreement with the Taliban,[411] which calls for thewithdrawal of foreign troops in 14 months if the Taliban uphold the terms of the agreement.[412] Trump said "it is time" to bring U.S. soldiers home from Afghanistan.[413] Trump's successor,Joe Biden, later extended the deadline for the withdrawal to September 11, 2021, leading Trump to comment in April 2021 that "we can and should get out earlier", that "we should keep as close" to the May 1, 2021, deadline Trump had set, and that the withdrawal was "a wonderful and positive thing to do".[414]
As part of the February 2020 deal, the U.S. agreed to the release of 5,000 Taliban members who were imprisoned by the Afghan government; some of these ex-prisoners went on to join the2021 Taliban offensive that felled the Afghan government.[415][416]
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During the 2016 campaign, Trump described the President of Egypt,Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, as a "fantastic guy", praising his handling of various political events in Egypt, such asa massive uprising in late June 2013 in Egypt against former PresidentMohamed Morsi, which was followed by Morsi beingremoved from office by el-Sisi on July 3, 2013.[417] Trump said that there was a "good feeling between [them]".[417]
In April 2017, Trump welcomed el-Sisi to the White House, saying "We are very much behind President Sisi – he has done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation" and assuring el-Sisi that "you have a great ally in the US and in me."[418] In contrast, Sisi was never invited to the White House during the Obama administration, which criticized post-Morsi authorities in Egypt, as well as Egypt's human rights record.[418]
During the first Trump administration, U.S.–Iran relations deteriorated sharply as Trump abandonedObama's engagement strategy. TheU.S. withdrew from the nuclear deal (JCPOA),[419] reimposed sanctions, and launched amaximum pressure campaign that imposed over 1,500 sanctions and severely damaged Iran's economy.[420] In response, Iran escalated uranium enrichment[421] and ruled out talks.[422] Tensions rose through 2019 with oil tanker attacks,a downed U.S. drone, and cyber retaliation.[423] The crisis peaked in early 2020 after the U.S.killed Iranian GeneralQasem Soleimani,[424] prompting Iranian missile strikes. Relations remained hostile through the end of Trump's term.
During the 2016 campaign, Trump repeatedly advocated that the United States should "take the oil" fromIraq as "spoils of war", a decision which would require another invasion and occupation of the country.[425][426] Trump's statements caused criticism and controversy, as most legal experts agreed that the action would be an illegalwar crime under theGeneva Conventions and because many believed that it would increase support forIslamic fundamentalism across the Middle East.[427][428]
Trump defended his statements by claiming that they would recoup the cost of U.S. military expenditure in Iraq and prevent Iraqi oil infrastructure from falling underISILcontrol.[429] Trump reiterated his support for seizing other nations' oil after taking office as president. In January 2017, he said that the United States "should have kept the oil" after theIraq invasion and "maybe we'll have another chance".[430]Axios reported in 2018 that, as president, Trump had twice brought the issue up withIraqi Prime MinisterHaider al-Abadi, causing consternation among Trump's advisers.[431][432]
National Security AdviserH.R. McMaster is reported to have told Trump "We can't do this and you shouldn't talk about it. Because talking about it is just bad ... It's bad for America's reputation, it'll spook allies, it scares everybody," whileSecretary of DefenseJim Mattis publicly stated that the United States did not intend "to seize anybody's oil."[433]
In January 2017, Trump issued anexecutive order banning the entry of all Iraqi citizens, as well as citizens of six other countries. After sharp criticism, public protests, and lawsuits against the executive order, Trump relaxed the travel restrictions somewhat and dropped Iraq from the list of non-entry countries in March 2017.[434][435][436]
In July 2017, on the advice of then-CIAdirectorMike Pompeo, Trump ordered a "phasing out" of theCIA's support for anti-Assad Syrian rebels during theSyrian Civil War.[437][438]
On October 9, 2019,Turkeylaunched an offensive into northern Syria against theKurdish-ledAutonomous Administration of North and East Syria (Rojava) after Trump shifted his personal support from theSyrian Kurds to Turkey.[439]
In November 2019, Trump approved a mission for U.S. troops to secure the oil fields in eastern Syria.[440] Later that month, Trump said that the remaining American troops in Syria were there "only for the oil", and that the U.S. was "keeping the oil". Seizing oil without local government permission would be a war crime ofpillage, but the U.S. military confirmed it was coordinating with Rojava and theSyrian Democratic Forces that controlled the area.[441]
On April 7, 2017, Trump ordered theUnited States Navy tolaunch a cruise missile atShayrat Air Base in response to theKhan Shaykhun chemical attack. The missile attack had wide international support[442] and was highly praised by the majority of Republicans as well as Democratic senators.[443] The move drew criticism from Russia, whom the United States had warned in advance about the attack. Although Russian anti-missile defenses such asS-300's failed to deter the missile attack, Russian forces suffered minimal damage, as the United States had deliberately avoided striking areas of the base used by Russia.[444] Russian Prime MinisterDmitry Medvedev criticized the strike as "good news for terrorists".[445]
Trump later addressed the nation fromMar-a-Lago in Florida on the strikes on Syria in April 2017, where he stated "I ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched. It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons. There can be no dispute that Syria used bannedchemical weapons, violated its obligations under theChemical Weapons Convention and ignored the urging of the U.N. Security Council. Years of previous attempts at changing Assad's behavior have all failed and failed very dramatically. As a result the refugee crisis continues to deepen and the region continues to destabilize, threatening the United States and its allies. Tonight I call on all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria and also to end terrorism of all kinds and all types".[446]
According to investigative journalistBob Woodward, Trump had ordered his defense secretaryJames Mattis to assassinate Syrian presidentBashar al-Assad after the chemical attack in April 2017, but Mattis declined; Trump denied doing so.[447]
In response to theDouma chemical attack in Syria, in April 2018, Trump orderedmissile strikes against the Assad regime targeting alleged chemical weapons compounds; the U.S. led strikes were carried out along with the United Kingdom and France.[448]
Trump addressed the nation from the White House on April 13, 2018, of the strikes against Assad's chemical weapon compounds in Syria, stating "I ordered the United States Armed Forces to launch precision strikes on targets associated with the chemical weapons capabilities of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. A combined operation with the armed forces of France and the United Kingdom is now underway. We thank them both." "the Assad regime again deployed chemical weapons to slaughter innocent civilians this time, in the town of Douma, near the Syrian capital of Damascus. This massacre was a significant escalation in a pattern of chemical weapons use by that very terrible regime".[449]
Announcing troop withdrawal from Syria in December 2018, Trump stated on Twitter that defeating ISIL was "my only reason" for a military presence in Syria,[450] seemingly disregarding the previous missions to respond to Assad's use of chemical weapons.
During the presidential campaign in 2015, Trump frequently changed his positions on how to defeat theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).[451]
In June 2015, when asked how he would deal with Iraq's condemnation of strikes on their oil fields, Trump replied that Iraq is a corrupt country that is not deserving of his respect[452] and that he would "bomb the hell" out ofIraqi oil fields controlled by ISIL.[452][453]
After formally announcing his candidacy on June 16, 2015, Trump's first interview was withBill O'Reilly onThe O'Reilly Factor the following day.[452] He suggested a hands-off approach to theSyrian Civil War:[452] "Iran and Russia are protecting Syria and it's sort of amazing that we're in there fighting ISIS in Syria so we're helping the head of SyriaBashar al-Assad who is not supposed to be our friend although he looks a lot better than some of our so-called friends."[452] Instead of fighting ISIL in Syria, Trump suggested "maybe Syria should be a free zone for ISIS, let them fight and then you pick up the remnants."[452]
In a Republican primary debate on November 10, 2015, Trump said he "got to knowVladimir Putin very well because we were both on '60 Minutes', we were stable mates, we did well that night." Trump said he approved of theRussian military intervention in Syria, stating: "If Putin wants to knock the hell out of ISIS, I'm all for it 100 percent and I can't understand how anybody would be against that ... He's going in and we can go in and everybody should go in."[454] During his speech at theOklahoma State Fair, Trump accused his opponents of wanting to "startWorld War III overSyria."[455]
In the aftermath of theNovember 2015 Paris attacks committed by ISIL, Trump reiterated his position on ISIL, as he had stated the day before the attack that he would "bomb the shit out of 'em"[66] and that he would "blow up the [oil] pipes, I'd blow up the refineries, and you know what, you'll getExxon to come in there in two months... and I'd take the oil."[456] Trump said that, to combat ISIL, "I would find you a proper general. I would find aPatton or aMacArthur. I would hit them so hard your head would spin."[452] Trump said in an interview withAnderson Cooper the day of the Paris attacks: "There is no Iraq. Their leaders are corrupt."[66] In the March 11, 2016, CNN Republican presidential debate, he said he would send ground troops to fight ISIL, saying: "We really have no choice. We have to knock out ISIS."[457]
In a 2015 interview, Trump stated "You have to take out their families, when you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families. ... When they say they don't care about their lives, you have to take out their families." When pressed on what "take out" meant, Trump said the U.S. should "wipe out their homes" and "where they came from."[458] Critics noted that the intentional targeting ofnon-combatants is a violation of theGeneva Conventions and other aspects of the internationallaw of war.[459] Jonathan Russell, head of policy for the anti-radicalization think tankQuilliam, warned that Trump's "anti-Muslim rhetoric" helps ISIL's "narrative", saying "Trump will contribute toIslamist radicalization as his comments will make Muslims feel unwelcome in America."[460]
During his presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly criticized thebattle to liberate Mosul from ISIL control, saying that the United States is "not going to benefit" from dislodging ISIL from the Iraqi city. Trump repeatedly asserted that U.S. and Iraqi military leaders should have used "the element of surprise" to attack Mosul rather than announcing plans beforehand. He also said that U.S. military planners were "a group of losers" for not doing so.[461][462] Some U.S. military officials openly rebuked Trump's comments, saying that "it is nearly impossible to move tens of thousands of troops into position without alerting the enemy" and asserting that it was vital to warn civilians of impending military action.[461]
With the arrival of the Trump administration, a change in policy was instituted regarding the disclosure of troop levels abroad as well as the timing of any additional deployments to the Middle East, following through on his campaign promises to utilize the "element of surprise". By April 2017,[463] there had been two non-disclosed troop deployments in the month of March: a deployment of 400 U.S. Marines tonorthern Syria and 300 U.S. Army paratroopers to the area aroundMosul, Iraq. By April 2, 2017, the U.S. troop level, or "force management level" — the number of full-time troops deployed, was around 5,200 in Iraq and 500 in Syria, with about 1,000 more troops there on a temporary basis.[463]
The Syria deployment put more conventional U.S. troops on a front that, until then, had primarily usedspecial operations units. The 400 Marines were part of the11th MEU from the Battalion Landing Team1st Battalion, 4th Marines. They manned an artillery battery whilst additional infantrymen from the unit provided security and resupplies were handled by part of the expeditionary force's combat logistics element.[464]
In August 2017, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISILBrett H. McGurk stated that the Trump administration had "dramatically accelerated" theU.S.–led campaign against ISIL, citing estimates that almost one-third of the territory taken from ISIL "has been won in the last six months." McGurk favorably cited "steps President Trump has taken, including delegating decision–making authority from the White House to commanders in the field."[67]
Some right-wing populist media figures who supported Trump during the election criticized his apparent policy reversal on the Middle East after the increased anti-ISIL commitment.[465][466][467][468]Ann Coulter stated that Trump "campaigned on not getting involved in Mideast" arguing that it was one of the reasons many voted for him.[465]
On December 11, 2018, anti-ISIL envoyBrett McGurk indicated in a press briefing that the war against ISIL in Syria was not over, stating, "It would be reckless if we were just to say, well, the physical caliphate is defeated, so we can just leave now."[469] On December 17, 2018,James Jeffrey, the United States Special Representative for Syria Engagement, stated in an address to theAtlantic Council that the United States would remain in Syria "a very long time."[470]
On December 19, Trump, declaring "we have won against ISIS," unilaterally announced a "total" withdrawal of the 2,000–2,500 U.S. troops in Syria. The announcement was made on Twitter and the decision was apparently made without prior consultation with Congress, military commanders, civilian advisors, or allies. Although no timetable was provided at the time, press secretarySarah Sanders indicated that the withdrawal had been ordered to begin. The Pentagon and State Department tried to change Trump's mind on the decision, with several of his congressional and political allies expressing concerns about the sudden move, specifically that it would "hand control of the region" to Russia and Iran, and "abandon" America's Kurdish allies.[471][472]Brian Kilmeade of theFox & Friends news program, which Trump himself often watches, sharply criticized Trump's decision as "totally irresponsible", adding "nobody thinks ISIS is defeated" and that the president had "blindsided" the Pentagon and State Department.[473]
Immediately after Trump's announcement, Defense SecretaryJim Mattis unsuccessfully tried persuading Trump to reconsider, then informed the president on December 20 he would resign from his post.[474] Mattis asked to continue in his position through February to continue defending "the Department's interests" at Congressional and NATO meetings while Trump selected a successor.[475] Two days later, McGurk announced he was also exiting as a consequence of Trump's decision. (McGurk had previously said he would leave in February, but as the result of the Syria withdrawal and Mattis' departure, he moved his own departure earlier to December 31.)[476] In response, Trump wrote that he did not know McGurk and questioned if McGurk was a "grandstander".[477][478]
On December 23, Trump announced on Twitter that Deputy Secretary of DefensePatrick Shanahan would become Acting Secretary of Defense effective January 1, thereby replacing Mattis two months' earlier than Mattis' requested resignation date.[479] On December 30, SenatorLindsey Graham, a known Congressional confidant of the president, said that the decision was "a stain on the honor of the United States," and that while he agrees that it's possible to reduce the American footprint in Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq, the US must keep troops in Syria to ensure ISIL can't regroup. Graham also said that he and a group of generals would urge Trump to reconsider his withdrawal plans during a luncheon later that day.[480]
One week after this announcement, Trump asserted he would not approve any extension of the American deployment in Syria.[481] On January 6, 2019, national security advisorJohn Bolton added conditions to the pullout, announcing America would remain in Syria until ISIL is eradicated and until Turkey guarantees it would not strike America's Kurdish allies.[482]
On February 22, 2019, the administration stated that instead of the initially announced "total" pullout, 400 U.S. troops would remain in Syria indefinitely to serve as acontingency force. About 200 of those would be a part of a larger multinational "observer force".[483][484] Press secretarySarah Sanders initially characterized the troops as "peacekeepers", although a senior administration official later disputed that label as the term technically implied restrictedrules of engagement. The shift from a total to a partial withdrawal came afterChairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffJoseph Dunford strongly vouched for it as French and British allies declined to remain in Syria unless America did. After the announcement,The New York Times quoted officials as describing a "surreal atmosphere" at the Pentagon among military leaders overseeing Syrian policy.[485] A bipartisan group of members of Congress wrote Trump a letter on February 22 endorsing a "small American stabilizing force" in Syria. Trump responded by writing directly on the letter, "I agree 100%. ALL is being done."[484]
On February 28, while speaking to troops atJoint Base Elmendorf-Richardson inAlaska during a refueling stop fromHanoi, Trump asserted that the Islamic State had lost "100 percent" of its territory that it once controlled in Syria. The assertion was false, as theBattle of Baghuz Fawqani was still ongoing, and the Islamic State still held territory in theSyrian Desert[486] as well as the town ofAl-Baghuz Fawqani.[487]
On March 22, 2019, in response to developments in theBattle of Baghuz Fawqani, where ISIL was still putting up stubborn resistance to the SDF, Trump showed reporters two maps comparing the extents of the Islamic State's occupation of Syria and Iraq, stating "Here's ISIS on Election Day. Here's ISIS right now." The "election day" map was actually from 2014, when the Islamic State was at its greatest territorial extent, and just as the U.S.-led coalition had begun pushing back against ISIL.[488] The battle concluded on March 23, the next day, with the SDF militia's victory over ISIL. Trump administration officials and allies cautiously hailed the territorial collapse of the Islamic State in Syria while stressing the need to keep a presence in the country to keep up pressure and to stop a territorial resurgence of the Islamic State.[68]
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From 2011, a reward of $10 million was offered forAbu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, by theUS State Department, increasing to $25 million in 2017,[489] forinformation orintelligence on his whereabouts to enable capture, dead or alive.[490][491] On October 27, 2019, he killed himself and two children by detonating asuicide vest during theBarisha raid conducted by the USDelta Force in Syria's northwesternIdlib Province. Trump later announced the death, stating that al-Baghdadi "died after running into a dead-end tunnel, whimpering and crying and screaming all the way",[492] despite only having seen drone footage without audio.[493][494]
In October 2019, Trump ordered the Pentagon to withdraw U.S. troops from northeastern Syria to allow Turkey to conduct aplanned military operation againstAutonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the Kurdish-ledSyrian Democratic Forces, which had been supporting the U.S. against ISILsince 2014.[495][496] The sudden announcement on the night of October 6 came after a Trump telephone call with Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdogan.[497] U.S. troops reportedly began withdrawing from some positions in northern Syria on October 7.
Similar to their reaction to Trump's initial December 2018 withdrawal announcement, Pentagon officials claimed they were "completely blindsided" by the order and drew concerns about the apparent sudden reneging of the U.S.'s alliance with theSyrian Kurds.[498][499] The withdrawal was harshly criticized by Congress members of both parties, including Republicans who usually defend Trump. SenatorLindsey Graham called the decision "shortsighted and irresponsible" and threatened to introduce a Senate resolution opposing the pullout. SenatorMitch McConnell said "A precipitous withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria would only benefit Russia, Iran, and the Assad regime."[500]
Trump defended his withdrawal order, stating that theKurdish-Turkish conflict "has nothing to do with us" and described the situation as "strategically brilliant" for the U.S.[501] According toJim Sciutto's bookThe Madman Theory, the former Deputy Secretary of Defense for the Middle EastMick Mulroy said that the decision ran contrary to one of the main tenants of theNational Defense Strategy of building and maintaining partners, that theYPG elements of the SDF were only ones capable of providing the combat leadership needed to defeat ISIL, and that the Commander of the SDF, GeneralMazloum Abdi, sent a letter to U.S. service members essentially absolving them of the decision of Trump, as he knew they would never have abandoned them.[347]
Trump expounded on his opinion of the Kurds while defending his decision to withdraw American troops, arguing that the U.S.'s commitment to them is overblown and stating that they "didn't help us in theSecond World War, they didn't help us withNormandy as an example".[502] Trump continued that "Alliances are very easy. But our alliances have taken advantage of us"[502] and decried the Kurds as "no angels".[503] According to mediafact checking, Trump made false or misleading statements while defending his decision-making, such as suggesting that theKurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)—which Turkey, theEU, theUK, Canada andother nations designate as a terrorist group—"is probably worse at terror and more of a terrorist threat in many ways than ISIS".[504] According toThe New York Times, in 2018, ISIL conducted more than six times more attacks and more than 15 times more killings than the PKK, while the PKK's recorded attacks throughout its history are less than half of ISIL's, despite the PKK having existed for six times longer.[504]
Amidst the U.S. withdrawal, he observed that the Kurds "are much safer right now", although Turkey had stated it had killed 150 Kurdish fighters by October 16, while the Kurds stated that almost 200,000 of their people had been displaced by the offensive at that point.[505] Trump also falsely accused the Kurds of having deliberately released ISIL militants from prisons.[506]
On October 13, Trump ordered that the remaining ~1,000 U.S. troops in northern Syria also be withdrawn, but theal-Tanf base in southeastern Syria would remain garrisoned.[507] By November 2019, it had been announced that U.S. troops would remain in eastern Syria to work alongside the Syrian Democratic Forces in securing oil and gas fields against ISIL attacks. Trump approved and supported the mission, lauding that the U.S. "has secured the Oil, & the ISIS Fighters are double secured by Kurds & Turkey."[508]
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Trump was critical of the Obama administration's treatment of Israel, stating that "Israel has been totally mistreated."[509]
In December 2015, Trump said that he would not take sides in any Israeli-Palestinian agreement in order to be a neutral negotiator in the peace talks, although he also added that he was "totally pro-Israel."[510] In December 2015, Trump told theAssociated Press that an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord would depend very much upon Israel, remarking: "I have a real question as to whether or not both sides want to" come to a peace accord. "A lot will have to do with Israel and whether or not Israel wants to make the deal — whether or not Israel's willing to sacrifice certain things."[511]
In March 2016, Trump criticized thePalestinian National Authority for the absence of peace, saying: "the Palestinian Authority has to recognizeIsrael's right to exist as aJewish state. …[and they] have to stop the terror, stop the attacks, stop the teaching of hatred...they have to stop the teaching of children to aspire to grow up as terrorists, which is a real problem. Of course, the recognition of Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state is also a major sticking point, with the current Palestinian leadership repeatedly refusing to meet that basic condition."[512]
In a speech toAIPAC, Trump vowed that as president he will veto aUnited Nations-imposed Israel-Palestine peace agreement, stating: "When I'm president, believe me, I will veto any attempt by the U.N. to impose its will on the Jewish state. It will be vetoed 100 percent."[513] He added that "The Palestinians must come to the table knowing that the bond between the United States and Israel is absolutely, totally unbreakable."[513]
Early in the campaign Trump refused to say whether he supported Israel's position that Jerusalem is its undivided capital.[511] But he later said on multiple occasions that if elected president he would move theU.S. embassy in Israel fromTel Aviv toJerusalem, which he described as the "eternal capital of the Jewish people."[513][514] He repeated this pledge after a meeting withBenjamin Netanyahu in September 2016[515]
Trump broke with long-standing bipartisan U.S. policy that Israel should stop building additionalIsraeli settlements in theWest Bank as a precursor to negotiations with the Palestinians, saying that the Israelis "have to keep going" and "I don't think there should be a pause."[516]
In February 2017, Trump said that he could live with either atwo-state solution or aone-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[517] This represented a break with the previous bipartisan foreign policy consensus of support for the two-state solution.[517] On May 22, 2017, Trump was the first U.S. president to visit theWestern Wall inJerusalem, during his first foreign trip, visitingSaudi Arabia, Israel, Italy, theVatican, andBelgium.[518]
On December 6, 2017, Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, despite objections from Palestinian leaders. Trump added that he would initiate the process of establishing a new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, fulfilling theJerusalem Embassy Act, which had been passed by a bipartisan congressional supermajority in 1995.[53] TheUnited States Embassy officially relocated to Jerusalem on May 14, 2018, to coincide with the 70th anniversary of theIsraeli Declaration of Independence.[519]
Israeli officials lobbied Trump into recognizing "Israeli sovereignty" over the Golan Heights.[520]
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On August 13, 2020, theIsrael–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement was finalized between Israel and theUnited Arab Emirates (UAE).Jared Kushner, the primary official negotiating the agreement, stated that the deal would make the Middle East more peaceful and hopeful, which would mean fewer American troops would need to be deployed in the region.[521]Secretary of StateMike Pompeo said the deal was an important step toward stabilizing the region and was good for the whole world.[522]
A joint statement issued by Trump, Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu, andAbdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, read: "This historic diplomatic breakthrough will advance peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to the bold diplomacy and vision of the three leaders and the courage of the United Arab Emirates and Israel to chart a new path that will unlock the great potential in the region."[523] The UAE and Israel moved to establish full diplomatic ties after Israel agreed to suspend aplan to annex parts of the occupiedPalestinian territories in theWest Bank.[524] The UAE said it would continue to support the Palestinian people and that the agreement would maintain the prospect of a two-state solution between Israel andPalestine.
Subsequently, the term "Abraham Accords" was used to refer collectively to agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates andBahrain, respectively (theBahrain–Israel normalization agreement).[525] The Accords, which were later expanded via theIsrael–Sudan normalization agreement andIsrael–Morocco normalization agreement, have been described byThe New York Times and theAssociated Press as one of Trump's most significant foreign policy accomplishments.[83][84]
The Trump administration continued the Obama administration'scounter-Islamic State operations in Libya.[526]
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On December 10, 2020, President Trump announced that the United States would officially recognizeMorocco'sclaims over thedisputed territory ofWestern Sahara, as a result of Morocco agreeing tonormalize relations with Israel.[527] Morocco hadannexedmost of the territory in 1975.[528]
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The Trump administration aimed to support efforts in fighting against states and groups allied with Iran and theMuslim Brotherhood.[529] However, Trump claimed credit for engineering theQatar diplomatic crisis in a series of tweets.[530]
Later on, Qatari EmirTamim bin Hamad Al Thani visited the United States in 2019, when an expansion ofAl Udeid Air Base was announced to be funded by Qatar,[531] which would cost $1.8 billion (~$2.17 billion in 2024).[532]
During the 2016 campaign, Trump called for Saudi Arabia to pay for the costs of American troops stationed there.[533] He argued that regional allies of the United States, such as Saudi Arabia should provide troops in the fight against theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Trump said he would haltoil imports from Saudi Arabia unless the Saudi government provided ground troops to defeat ISIL.[534]
In March 2017, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson approved the resumption on the sale ofguided munitions to Saudi Arabia, a move that had been halted late in the Obama administration because of criticisms of the Saudi government's approach to civilian casualties in theYemeni Civil War.[535]
During the 2016 campaign, Trump praised Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan for his handling of the2016 coup attempt in Turkey.[536] When asked if Erdoğan was exploiting the coup attempt topurge his political enemies, Trump did not call for the Turkish leader to observe the rule of law, or offer other cautions for restraint. He said that the United States had to "fix our own mess" before trying to change the behavior of other countries.[536]
Trump also stated during the campaign that he believed he could persuade Erdoğan to step up efforts against ISIL.[536] When asked how he would solve the problem ofTurkish attacks on Kurds who are fighting ISIL, Trump said "Meetings."[536]
Trump threatened Turkey with economic sanctions over its detention of theevangelical Christian pastorAndrew Brunson. On August 1, 2018, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Turkey's justice and interior ministers.[537]
In October 2019, Trump ordered the Pentagon to withdraw U.S. troops from Northern Syria to allow Turkey toextend theTurkish occupation of northern Syria,[495] even though the Kurdish fighters the Turks attacked had helped the U.S. against the Islamic State.[496] Pentagon officials stated that they were "completely blindsided" and "shocked" by the order.[498][499]
The Trump administration continued theUnited States drone strikes in Yemen against theAl-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen, that were previously begun and expanded in the previous administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama.[538][539][540]
On February 1, 2020, Trump appeared to confirm reports that the U.S. had killedQasim al-Raymi, the leader of an al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen by retweeting reports claiming that the CIA had conducted a drone strike targeting theAl-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula leader.[541]
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A report inThe Washington Post on February 2, 2017, claimed that Trump berated Prime MinisterMalcolm Turnbull and hung up 35 minutes earlier than planned over a refugee resettlement deal that President Obama had made with Australia where the United States agreed to take 1,250 refugees from camps inNauru andManus Island.[542] It was also claimed that Trump suggested Turnbull was attempting to export the nextBoston bombers to the United States.[543] Later that same day, Trump explained that although he respected Australia, they were "terribly taking advantage" of the United States.[544]
Australian AmbassadorJoe Hockey met withReince Priebus andStephen Bannon the next day, and Sean Spicer described the call as "cordial".Reuters described the call as "acrimonious", andThe Washington Post said that it was Trump's "worst call by far" with a foreign leader.[545][546] Notwithstanding the disagreement regarding the resettlement of the refugees Vice PresidentMike Pence, while on a visit to Australia in April 2017, stated the United States will abide by the deal. The decision was seen as a positive sign of commitment by the Australian Prime Minister.[547]
The Trump administration was accused of generally "ignoring" Africa, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa. By October 2017, senior diplomatic positions relating to the continent were still vacant, includingAssistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Africa. U.S. military operations in the region continued, but there were no clear statement of objectives or guidance for theUnited States Africa Command at the time, headed by GeneralThomas Waldhauser.[548] Alan Patterson would later serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Africa from December 2017 to October 2018 andTibor P. Nagy would becomeAssistant Secretary of State for African Affairs on July 23, 2018.[549][550]
During a summer 2017 meeting about immigration, Trump reportedly said that Nigerians, once they came to the United States, would never "go back to their huts". The White House strongly denied the claim.[114] In a meeting with congressional leaders on January 11, 2018, Trump asked during a discussion of immigration from Africa why America would want people from "all these shithole countries", suggesting that it would be better to receive immigrants from countries like Norway. The comment was condemned as racist by many foreign leaders and a UN spokesman. TheAfrican Union said it was "alarmed" by the comment, which "flies in the face of all accepted behavior and practice."[115] African ambassadors in Washington planned to meet the following week to discuss a response. They expressed dismay that it took something like this to bring attention to Africa when the continent had so many other issues, such as famine and civil war, that Washington ignored.[551]
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In September 2020, the United States suspended part of its economic assistance toEthiopia due to the lack of sufficient progress in negotiations withSudan andEgypt over the construction of theGrand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.[552] On October 24, 2020, President Donald Trump stated on a public phone call to Sudan's Prime MinisterAbdalla Hamdok and Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu that "it's a very dangerous situation because Egypt is not going to be able to live that way... And I said it and I say it loud and clear - they'll blow up that dam. And they have to do something." Ethiopian Prime MinisterAbiy Ahmed responded that "Ethiopia will not cave in to aggression of any kind" and that threats were "misguided, unproductive and clear violations of international law."[553]
On August 23, 2018, Trump publicly instructed Secretary of StateMike Pompeo to investigateSouth African farm attacks,[554] an instruction which was widely described in mainstream media as the administration advocating for an unfoundedwhite genocide conspiracy theory.[555][556][557][558] Trump had apparently gotten his information from aTucker Carlson segment onFox News.[559] The media roundly berated the move, withNew York magazine claiming Trump was attempting to "change the conversation — to one about "white genocide" in South Africa",[560]Esquire reported that the "President of the United States is now openly promoting an international racistconspiracy theory as the officialforeign policy of the United States".[561] According to theSPLC, Trump had "tweeted out his intention to put the full force of theU.S. State Department behind awhite nationalist conspiracy theory".[562]
Causing "angry reaction in South Africa", many politicians responded critically including formerUS Ambassador to South AfricaPatrick Gaspard, RSADeputy PresidentDavid Mabuza andJulius Malema MP, who responded to Trump, declaring "there is no white genocide in South Africa",[563] and that the US President's intervention into their ongoingland reform issues "only made them more determined... to expropriate our land without compensation".[564][565] Trump had previously caused controversy around the topic as a presidential candidate in 2016, when he republished content from a social media account named "WhiteGenocideTM".[566][567]
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On October 23, 2020, theIsrael–Sudan normalization agreement was finalized between Israel and theSudan.
The Trump administration pursuedunilateralist policies abroad in alignment with the "America First" policy.[568]
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Trump was more adversarial to theEuropean Union than his predecessors, regarding the union more as an economic competitor than a partner in foreign affairs. During his 2016 election campaign, Trump said of the EU, "the reason that it got together was like aconsortium so that it could compete with the United States."[569] U.S. foreign policy experts such asStrobe Talbott andAmie Kreppel regarded this assertion as incorrect, emphasizing that though the EU was established in part to rebuild the European economies afterWorld War II, it was not created specifically to compete with the United States and that, in fact, the U.S. government initially approved of the EU's creation.[570]
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In a 60-minute interview in mid-January 2017, withMichael Gove of theTimes of London andKai Diekmann ofBild, U.S. presidentDonald Trump criticized theEuropean Union as "basically a vehicle for Germany" claiming that it was a "very catastrophic mistake" onAngela Merkel's part to admit a million refugees – whom he refers to as "illegals".[572] In a letter to 27 European leaders,Donald Tusk, thePresident of the European Council, called these "worrying declarations" and claimed that the Trump administration seemed to "question the last 70 years of American foreign policy," placing the European Union in a "difficult situation".[573] The relation soured even more whenJean-Claude Juncker jokingly said it would support the independence of the US State ofOhio and the city ofAustin, Texas afterDonald Trump backed theBrexit and encouraging other European countries to follow its example.[574]
In May 2017, Angela Merkel met with Trump. Trump's nationalist sentiments had already strained relations with several EU countries and other American allies, to the point where after a NATO summit, Merkel said that Europeans cannot rely on United States' help anymore.[575] This came after Trump had said the Germans were "bad, very bad" and threatened to stop all car trade with Germany.[576]
In July 2018, Trump stated in an interview withCBS that the European Union is one of the United States' greatest foes globally, citing "what they do to us on trade".[577] He followed this up with a tweet protesting theEU's fining of Google $5.1 billion for a violation of antitrust laws, commenting that the EU continues to take advantage of the US.[578]
In December 2019, the United States urged the European countries to blacklistHezbollah. Its ambassador to GermanyRichard Grenell asked these countries to list Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, after a US civil contractor was killed in a rocket attack inIraq'sKirkuk Province, which the US official said involvedKata'ib Hezbollah.[579]
In September 2018, John Bolton threatened theInternational Criminal Court (ICC) over the organization planning to investigate alleged American war crimes in Afghanistan.[580][581] In April 2019, an entry-visa of one member who part of the Afghanistan investigation was revoked.[582][583] On September 2, 2020, the same individual was formally sanctioned according to Mike Pompeo.[584]
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During his presidential campaign in March 2016, Trump called for a "rethink" of American involvement in NATO, stating that the US pays too much to ensure the security of allies, that "NATO is costing us a fortune, and yes, we're protecting Europe with NATO, but we're spending a lot of money".[585] Later in the same interview, he stated that the U.S. should not "decrease its role" in NATO but rather should decrease U.S. spending in regards to the organization.[586] In a July 2016 interview, Trump "explicitly raised new questions about his commitment to automatically defend NATO allies," questioning whether he, as president, would automatically extendsecurity guarantees to NATO members.[536] Asked about a prospective Russia attack on NATO'sBaltic members, Trump stated that he would decide whether to come to their aid only after reviewing whether those nations "have fulfilled their obligations to us."[536] This represented a sharp break from traditional U.S. foreign policy regarding NATO.[536][587]
As president, Trump said in a February 2017 speech that the US strongly supports NATO, but continued to insist that NATO members were not paying their fair share as part of the alliance.[588] In March 2017, Trump called upon U.S. allies increase their financial commitment to their own defense or compensate the United States for providing it, asserting that Germany and NATO owed "vast sums of money" to the U.S. for defense.[283] In May 2017, on a visit to the new NATO headquarters, Trump called upon NATO to do more to fight terrorism and to add limiting immigration to its tasks. In the speech he did not explicitly reaffirm U.S. commitment toArticle V, which obligates all NATO members to respond to an attack against any one member. White House spokesperson Sean Spicer later reaffirmed America's commitment to joint defense.[589]
Referencing countries that had not spent the minimum of 2% of their national GDP for defense by 2024, a NATO guideline, Trump claimed that "many of these nations owe massive amounts of money from past years."[589][590] While most members of the alliance indeed had yet to reach the 2% target, the countries are not in arrears and they "do not owe anything" to the United States or to NATO.[590][591] In April 2019, Secretary-GeneralJens Stoltenberg played down the disputes with Trump, noting in an address to Congress that "there are differences" (noting disputes over trade, energy, climate change policy, the Iran nuclear agreement and burden sharing among NATO allies). Noting that NATO members are on track to increase defense spending by up to $100 billion, Stoltenberg said that "this has been the clear message from President Trump and this message is having a real impact."[592]
Critics of Trump charged him with failing to understand or honor the strategic significance of NATO andcollective defense to the U.S.'s national security, and of seeing the NATO alliance in transactional terms, with one describing Trump's views on collective defense as more akin to a "protection racket".[593] According toJohn Bolton, Trump had to be talked out of leaving NATO several times and would withdraw the United States from NATO if he had the chance of a second term.[594]
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During the 2016 campaign, Trump criticized theUnited Nations, saying that it was weak, incompetent, and "not a friend of democracy... freedom... the United States... Israel".[595] Upon taking office, Trump appointedNikki Haley as theUnited States Ambassador to the United Nations. On September 25, 2018, Trump addressed theGeneral Assembly of the United Nations inNew York City. After boasting that his administration had accomplished more in two years than almost any other U.S. administration in history, his speech was interrupted by laughter from the assembly.[596] Trump claimed that the diplomats were laughing with him, rather than at him.[597]
In June 2017, Trump announced that the U.S. wouldwithdraw from the Paris Agreement tocombat climate change. The withdrawal left the U.S. as one of the world's only countries outside the Paris Agreement (which consolidated each country's voluntary pledge to reducecarbon emissions and aimed to further emissions cuts), and made the U.S. the sole country to withdraw from the agreement after entering into it.[48] Trump's withdrawal formally abandoned President Obama's goal of cutting U.S. emissions by 28% below 2005 levels by 2025.[48] The U.S. withdrawal formally came into effect on November 4, 2020.[48] Trump's decision to withdrawal from the agreement dismayed business leaders and U.S. allies[49] and was condemned by scientists, which warned that U.S. withdrawal would deepen theclimate crisis.[50][51]
In 2020, the United States joined 34 other countries from Asia, Africa, and South America to "reaffirm that there is no internationalright to abortion, nor any international obligation on the part of states to finance or facilitateabortion," in theGeneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women's Health and Strengthening the Family.
When announcing his candidacy in June 2015, Trump said that his experience as a negotiator in private business would enhance his ability to negotiate better international trade deals as president.[139][598] Trump identifies himself as a "free trader",[176] but was widely described as a"protectionist".[599][600][601][602][603] Trump described supporters of international trade as "blood suckers".[604]
Trump's views on trade upended traditional Republican party policies favoring free trade.[599][175]Binyamin Appelbaum, reporting for theNew York Times, summarized Trump's proposals as breaking with 200 years ofeconomics orthodoxy.[177][605] American economic writerBruce Bartlett argued that Trump'sprotectionist views have roots in theWhig Party program of the 1830s. He noted that many Americans were sympathetic to these views, while saying this was nonetheless not a good justification to adopt them.[606] Canadian writerLawrence Solomon describes Trump's position on trade as similar to that as of pre-Reagan Republican presidents, such asHerbert Hoover (who signed theSmoot-Hawley Tariff Act) andRichard Nixon (who ran on a protectionist platform).[607]
A January 2019intelligence community assessment concluded that Trump's trade policies and unilateralism had "damaged" traditional alliances and induced foreign partners to seek new relationships.[251]
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During the 2016 campaign, Trump condemned theNorth American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), saying that if elected president, "We will either renegotiate it, or we will break it."[63][64]
During his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after becoming president, Trump stated that he viewed the Canadian situation different than Mexico, and only envisioned minor changes for Canada, with much larger ones for Mexico.[108]
During the 2016 campaign, Trump vowed to impose tariffs — in the range of 15 to 35 percent — on companies that move their operations to Mexico.[145] He specifically criticized theFord Motor Co.,[177]Carrier Corporation,[177] andMondelez International.[177][145][147] The dispute was partially resolved by the USMCA, which requires Mexican auto manufacturers to pay their workers a minimum wage of $16/hr.[citation needed]
After taking office, White House press secretary Sean Spicer noted that Trump was considering imposing a 20 percent tariff on Mexican imports to the United States as one of several options that would pay for his proposed border wall.[608] The Mexican government stated that if unilateral tariffs were imposed on Mexico, it would consider retaliating by imposing tariffs on goods Mexico imports from the United States.[609]
In September 2018, the United States, Mexico, and Canada reached an agreement to replace NAFTA with theUnited States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA). NAFTA remained in force until the ratification of the USMCA in July 2020.[62]
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During the 2016 campaign, Trump proposed a 45 percenttariff onChinese exports to the United States to give "American workers a level playing field."[176][177] According to an analysis byCapital Economics, Trump's proposed tariff may hurt U.S. consumers by driving U.S. retail price of Chinese made goods up 10 percent, because of few alternative suppliers in key product classes China sells to the U.S.[610] The goods trade deficit with China in 2015 was $367.2 billion (~$473 billion in 2024).[611] TheEconomic Policy Institute (EPI) reported in December 2014 that "Growth in the U.S. goods trade deficit with China between 2001 and 2013 eliminated or displaced 3.2 million U.S. jobs, 2.4 million (three-fourths) of which were in manufacturing." EPI reported these losses were distributed across all 50 states.[612]
Trump pledged "swift, robust and unequivocal" action against Chinese piracy,counterfeit American goods, and theft of U.S.trade secrets andintellectual property, and condemned China's "illegalexport subsidies and lax labor and environmental standards."[175] In a May 2016 campaign speech, Trump responded to concerns regarding a potential trade war with "We're losing $500 billion in trade with China. Who the hell cares if there's a trade war?"[179]
During the 2016 campaign, Trump opposed theTrans-Pacific Partnership that the Obama administration had negotiated, calling it "insanity. That deal should not be supported and it should not be allowed to happen." He said the US was "giving away" concessions to China.[613] Days after taking office, on January 23, 2017, Trump withdrew from the proposed deal, citing the need to protect American workers from competition by workers in low-wage countries.[37] The international trade agreement never took effect.
During the 2016 campaign, Trump called theWorld Trade Organization (WTO) a "disaster".[614] He said that if U.S. companies moved their manufacturing operations abroad, he would place tariffs of 15 to 35 percent on these products when they were sold to U.S. consumers. When informed that this would be contrary to the rules of the WTO, he answered "even better. Then we're going to renegotiate or we're going to pull out [of the WTO]."[145]
The United States remained an active WTO member throughout 2020.[615]
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In late January 2020, the Trump administration banned travel to the U.S. by mainland Chinese nationals, allowing US citizens abroad and legal US residents to return.[616]
On March 11, President Trump announced a travel ban on foreigners coming from theSchengen Area, and later added Ireland and the United Kingdom to the list.[617][618] Unlike the bans on entry by mainland Chinese and Iranian nationals, these were rescinded by Trump and due to expire January 26, 2021.[619]
In his first term, Trump frequently said that he inherited a "depleted"military from his predecessor,Barack Obama, despite evidence to the contrary in regards to funding, readiness, and infrastructure.[620][621][622] RetiredArmy generalDavid Petraeus and military analystsMichael E. O'Hanlon andLawrence Korb also denied Trump's claims of a U.S. military readiness crisis, regarding them as inaccurate.[623] Under the four fiscal years of the Trump administration, U.S. military funding totaled about $2.5 trillion, about $100 billion in additional funds annually.[621] However spending was lower than during Obama's first term (2009–2013) when using data adjusted for inflation.[624][625]
In the early years of his presidency, Trump sought to shift authority over military operations back tothe Pentagon by looseningrules of engagement and reducing White House oversight in thechain of command, a departure from his predecessor. Although the streamlined decision-making was welcomed by many in the military as reducing political micromanaging and increasing military responsiveness and command flexibility, it also drew repeated criticism for sharply increasing civilian casualties abroad.[626] In 2020,Mother Jones reported that, under Trump, "the US military was pursuing a strategy that tolerated a higher risk of bloodshed..." in Afghanistan and that from 2016 to 2019, the number of Afghan civilians killed by international airstrikes increased by 330 percent.[627] After 2017, civilian casualties caused by U.S. forces in Yemen escalated in "...the most intensive period of strikes in that country by any U.S. president since 2001," according toAirwars.[628]
In April 2017, after approving the use of theMOABon the battlefield for the first time, Trump commented "What I do is I authorize my military ... We have given them total authorization and that's what they're doing and, frankly, that's why they've been so successful lately."[626] It was reported in 2018 that when the CIA showed Trump an example of a drone strike not launching its payload until the suspect had left a home with its family inside, he said "Why did you wait?"[629]
Trump often boasted of the U.S. military's weapons arsenal to the point of exaggeration, with weapons experts noting Trump's comments in regards to theW76-2 thermonuclear warhead andF-35 fighter jet in particular as "extravagant" and "sometimes straying beyond reality..."[630]
Under the Trump administration, there was a modest decrease in U.S. troop levels inAfghanistan,Iraq, andSyria after an initial increase.[624][631] By October 2020, there were 4,500 U.S. ground troops in Afghanistan, 3,000 in Iraq, and 750 in Syria, amounting to almost 10,000 combined.[631] Trump's efforts to withdraw additional troops from Afghanistan and Germany were blocked by theNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, which limited his authority to withdraw forces from those countries.[632] Trump vetoed this bill, but the veto was overridden.
Trump touted his legacy of being the first president in decades to not start any "new wars", only using legislation passed by previous administrations to conduct ongoing foreign interventions and wars he inherited.[622] The Trump administrationincreased drone strokes in Somalia[633] and bolstered troop presence in Saudi Arabia and thePersian Gulf region, particularly during the Persian Gulf crisis against Iran.[631]
In February 2020, the Trump administration signed theDoha Agreement, a peace agreement with theTaliban to conclude thewar in Afghanistan and begin a full troop withdrawal.
In December 2020, the Trump administration orderedAFRICOM to withdraw 700 U.S. troops from Somalia, dispersing them to otherEast African countries such asKenya andDjibouti; U.S. drone strikes and cooperation with Somali forces were expected to continue.[634][635][636][637]
Trump ruptured traditional U.S. norms ofcivil-military relations and strained presidential relations with military leadership.[638][639] He initially expressed admiration and praise for his generals but began deriding them in both public and private in the later years of his first presidency.[639] In 2020,Reuters observed that Trump grew increasingly irritated when the advice of his generals "ran against his wishes," and that he was "frustrated by the wars he inherited and uncomfortable with an apolitical military leadership he sometimes sees as disloyal."[639] In 2020, Trump publicly derided U.S. military commanders, accusing them of pushing for war tobenefit military contractors.[640]
The Atlantic reported in 2020 that while on a visit to France, Trump had disparaged U.S. military personnel, including fallen soldiers, in crude and demeaning language; CNN and Fox News corroborated much of the reporting while Trump denied making the comments. The controversy only further strained his relations with the military late in his term.[640][641]
In May 2020, Trump said he intended to withdraw the US from "Open Skies", a 2002 treaty between three dozen countries that aims to promote military transparency. Under the treaty, participants are allowed to perform reconnaissance flights to gather information about each other's military activities. The European Union said it hoped the US would not withdraw. In explaining his position, Trump alleged that Russia had violated the terms of the treaty; Russia denied doing so.[642]
On November 22, 2020, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Council stated via Twitter that the 6-month period is over and the US is no longer party to the Treaty.
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During the 2016 campaign, Trump said that the U.S.'s control is getting weaker and that its nuclear arsenal is old and does not work.[643]
When asked at March 2016 campaign town hall with MSNBC'sChris Matthews whether he would rule out the use of nuclear weapons, Trump answered that the option of using nuclear weapons should never be taken off the table.[644][645][646]
During the 2016 campaign, Trump expressed support for South Korea, Japan and Saudi Arabia havingnuclear weapons if they would be unwilling to pay the United States for security.[647][648][649][650] He also deemed it inevitable, "It's going to happen anyway. It's only a question of time. They're going to start having them or we have to get rid of them entirely."[647] Trump's tentative support for nuclear proliferation was in contradiction to decades of bipartisan U.S. consensus on the issue.[651]
During the 2016 campaign, Trump was critical ofPakistan, comparing it to North Korea, calling it "probably the most dangerous country" in the world, and claiming thatPakistan's nuclear weapons posed a "serious problem". He advocated improvingrelations with India as a "check" to Pakistan. He said that his government would fully cooperate with India in doing so.[652]
However, bilateral relations apparently improved afterImran Khan came to power. Speaking of Imran Khan in a bilateral summit, Trump said, "I've heard they've made great progress. And under this leader — he's a great leader — I think he wants to make great progress because there's no solution the other way. The other way is only going to lead to death and chaos and poverty. It's all it's going to lead to. I mean, he understands it. Your Prime Minister understands it."[653]
The administration has been presented as 'isolationist' yet has agreed bilateral trade deals around the world and strengthened ties with Japan, Israel and Saudi Arabia – three traditional partners – while undertaking major war games against Russia and China. This year's Defender Europe 20 would have been the US army's largest exercise on the continent in 25 years if Covid-19 hadn't limited its scope. It's hard to detect any measurable change in approach. Even Trump's attempt to pressure Beijing into abandoning industrial measures that allegedly give it an unfair advantage in international trade have ample precedent in Reagan's 1980s trade war with Japan.
These actions, which came as the White House weighs what to do in the event of a North Korea nuclear test, clearly pivot from Mr. Trump's previous, semi-isolationist stance. Mr. Trump on the campaign trail espoused his 'America first' philosophy, saying he would beef up America's military presence, but avoid tumultuous areas like the Middle East to focus on American interests.
Trump seeks "a more populist, nativist, avowedly protectionist, and semi-isolationist party that is skeptical of immigration, free trade, and military interventionism."
Trump's 2016 messages drew heavily on his personal image enhanced by media exposure. His positions were right-wing populism-nativist, protectionist, and semi-isolationist and differed in many ways from traditional conservatism.
Yesterday, @POTUS @realDonaldTrump called President @sebastianpinera of Chile to express support for the decision to cancel the APEC Leaders Meeting and COP 25. The United States stands with Chile, an important ally, as it works to peacefully restore national order. President Trump denounced foreign efforts to undermine Chilean institutions, democracy, or society.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Congressional Research Service."S. 1838: Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019".Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. RetrievedSeptember 27, 2019 – viaGovTrack.us. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Congressional Research Service."H.R. 3289: Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019".Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. RetrievedSeptember 27, 2019 – via GovTrack.Coronavirus Casts Deep Chill Over U.S.-China Relations: Pandemic has brought relations between the two to a modern-day nadir as they try to outmaneuver one another to shape the world order
President Trump has questioned a deal to bring migrants held by Australia into the United States as refugees. Here is what daily life looks like for one of them.
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)It's a very scary nuclear world. Biggest problem, to me, in the world, is nuclear, and proliferation. At the same time, you know, we're a country that doesn't have money....So, the bottom line is, I think that frankly, as long as North Korea's there, I think that Japan having a capability is something that maybe is going to happen whether we like it or not.
At some point, we have to say, you know what, we're better off if Japan protects itself against this maniac in North Korea....My number one choice is, leave it the way it is, but they have to pay us because we cannot afford to continue to lose the billions and billions of dollars that we're losing in order to defend Japan and Germany and South Korea and Saudi Arabia
I would rather have them not arm, but I'm not going to continue to lose this tremendous amount of money....And frankly, the case could be made, that let them protect themselves against North Korea. They'd probably wipe them out pretty quick.
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