Each American president leaves a foreign policy legacy a doctrine that determines how America will relate with the world. In the case of Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States, such legacy was ambitious, provocative and unprecedented in the current American diplomacy.
There were those who loved his macho style. Some were even afraid that it undermined alliances and disrupted the world order. Yet, notwithstanding the political level of people, there is one fact:
The worldview of Trump changed the position of America in the world arena.
Then what was the Trump Doctrine? We can deconstruct the major tenets of his international policy.
The philosophy of America First: The essence of it.
The crux of the foreign policy being Trump focused on was a straight forward notion:
International obligation takes a second position to the interests of America.
Trump was of the opinion that previous administrations had been wasting time and financial resources other countries and leaving American employees and security alone. It was his commitment to change that trend.
“America First” focused on:
The U.S. Economy and employment.
Cutting down on overseas conflicts.
Pushing allies to give more in terms of money.
Critique of unfair global institutions.
This was well deserved to his supporters. To the critics, it was a withdrawal act in world leadership.
Commerce Wars and Economical Power Gambles.
Trump felt that economic power was the basis of national power – and he was willing to use trade policy as a weapon.
Key Moves:
Quota against trade imbalances and intellectual property thefts in China.
Renegotiating NAFTA → it became the USMCA agreement.
Canadian and European tariffs to drive superior trade deals.
Leaving the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
His message was clear:
Unless a trade agreement was good to the American workers then it was not going to happen.
Towns that made manufacture cheered. World economists forecasted the strain in the long run.
By the Force of Personality Foreign Policy
The past presidents have been depending on diplomatic institutions. Trump tended to depend on himself.
He held the view that good relationships may be established leader-to-leader, not by the bureaucrats and protocol.
Examples of bold engagement:
Past visits to North Korea with Kim Jon-un.
Flattering popular adulation of Vladimir Putin of Russia.
One-on-one talks with the Chinese Xi Jinping.
These actions shocked the old fashioned diplomats who were fond of subtle messaging. Unpredictability was considered power by Trump.
Challenging the Allies
Allies did not receive the automatic trust of Trump. He insisted upon conformity to American interests.
NATO Tensions
He pushed several times the members to spend more on defence stating that the U.S. bore excessive burden. The pressure had effect – a number of countries increased donations.
The poor European Relations.
Leaders such as the leaders of Germany like Angela Merkel were criticized by Trump in terms of trade and defense. European officials termed the alliance as going through its worst decades in decades.
Middle East Reordering
Trump made closer connections with:
Israel
Saudi Arabia
The United Arab Emirates
He focused on regional agreements such as the historic Abraham Accord that formalized relations between Israel and a number of Arab countries.
This intelligent realignment was termed as supporters. Critics said that old commitments were getting weak.
Hard on Foes–With Exceptions.
Trump went on an attack with certain competitors…
China
Sanctions and tariffs
Allegations of unethical trading behavior.
Technology and security confrontation.
Iran
Abortion of the nuclear deal.
Maximum pressure policy and hard sanctions.
Special operation killing of General Qassem Soleimani.
But in other places he assumed a friendlier intonation:
Russia: Trump frequently held admiration toward Putin, after his administration had imposed sanctions on them.
North Korea: He stopped threatening it with fire and fury, and wrote letters and smiled at Kim.
This combination of attack and direct personal appeals left the global strategy of Trump unpredictable, which he considered an advantage.
This is a withdrawal of the song Endless Wars.
Trump repudiated the principle of maintaining the U.S forces in protracted wars:
Forced to pull out troops on Afghanistan.
A lesser military presence in Syria.
The global bases and commitments of the U.S. were put into question.
The proponents felt like they had a president who was finally returning troops home. Critics gave warnings that opponents would have an edge.
Trump thought that America did not want to pay -or bleed- to police the world.
Cynicisms of International Organizations.
Trump considered most international organizations to be expensive or unfriendly to the American interests.
Major Moves:
Quit the Paris Climate Agreement.
Cuts its funding to the World Health Organization.
Blamed the United Nations on ineffectiveness.
His position was an indication to departure decades of U.S leadership in multilateral organizations.
A Doctrine Without a Signature Playbook.
The Trump Doctrine was not proclaimed in a speech or any official document as other doctrines are – the Monroe Doctrine or the Bush Doctrine.
It was rather a code of practices and principles:
Principle of Trump Doctrine Description.
America First American interests over international cooperation.
Randomness Stay out of the reach of competitors.
Transactional Diplomacy Each relation is a bargain.
Strongman Respect Individual respect towards strong leaders.
Economic Weapons Aggressively use tariffs and sanctions.
Drawdown in foreign country Withdraw military forces.
It was both flexible and aggressive and results-oriented rather than tradition-oriented.
Advocates vs. Opponents: A polarized Worldview.
The foreign policy of Trump had extremely opposite responses.
Supporters say he:
✅ Made allies contribute their quota.
✅ Was more aggressive against China.
✅ Avoided new wars
✅ historic Middle East deals.
✅ Put American workers first
Critics say he:
❌ Remained destroyed global confidence.
❌ Weakened alliances
❌ Politicized diplomacy
❌ Raised dictatorial leaders.
❌ Reduced U.S. global influence
Backing or objection – both parties concur that the changes were radical.
Conclusion: Game Changing Global Strategy.
The Trump Doctrine signified a paradigm shift in the American foreign policy. It changed direction on decades of multilateralism and adopted a more self-seeking and assertive approach.
Trump did not see world relations as alliances – as negotiations. His style dismantled the old ideas, broken down the political convention and made the world reconsider the way it is treating the United States.
His supporters think that he regained national pride and saved American jobs. Critics claim that he divided and separated the nation.
