January 20, 2025, a day that will forever live in infamy.
Donald Trump has brought drastic negative change to the country since his inauguration, most notably through his America First policy, which has had far-reaching impacts on the global geopolitical landscape and the American people.
On day one, Donald Trump signed a plethora of executive orders, five of which involved foreign policy. The first two executive orders withdrew the country from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization according to White House.gov in an attempt to give the United States more diplomatic autonomy. Trump cites that allowing the growth of U.S. industry free of climate regulation, as well as opting out of unfair World Health Organization funding practices, aligns with American interests.
However, any small economic benefits from the increased use of fossil fuels will be coupled with climate change-related drawbacks and will only delay the necessary switch to renewables. Additionally, Donald Trump’s claim that China contributes 90% less to the World Health Organization is inaccurate. Per the World Health Organization’s accessed contributions payable chart, China pays 40% less than the United States, not 90% less for 2025. Even with this difference in contributions being somewhat unfair, the choice to leave multiple international organizations will permanently damage the nation’s international image.
Donald Trump’s third executive order, renaming landmarks to American names, seeks to honor American greatness by honoring the great patriots of the country’s history, according to White House.gov. The name change that challenged previous international naming, changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, shocked the international community. This has not only angered Mexico, whose head of state has openly mocked the United States for the decision, but other countries in the region as the global superpower appears to be bullying its neighbors just for prestige.
Also on January 20, Donald Trump froze foreign development aid to countries for the next 90 days, according to WhiteHouse.gov. These programs, created to promote economic development in foreign countries, will be reviewed to determine their importance and if they should continue. Although some see this as a Trump power play, this is a good method to cut government spending where possible, and existing programs could receive funding from those terminated.
As the final executive order on Trump’s first day in office, Trump declared all cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. This order’s purpose is to allow further legal action against cartels and prevent illegal activity at the southern border. The president correctly cited how cartels work to destabilize various countries in the Western hemisphere and act as quasi-governments in territory they control. This action’s effects are relatively small, but the president will likely attempt to justify an increase of troops at the southern borders using the new government designation of cartels.
Akin to his designation of cartels as terrorist organizations, the president ordered the classification of Ansar Allah as a terrorist organization on January 22 according to White House.gov. Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, is an Iranian-backed militant group in control of a large portion of Yemen. The Houthis, as an Iranian-backed organization, have been hostile to the United States and its regional allies. Citing attacks on the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and international Red Sea trade, the president has correctly identified the Non-State Armed Group (NSAG) as a terrorist organization.
Trump’s next executive order on Feb. 1, 2025, placed tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico, according to WhiteHouse.gov. These tariffs hold the purpose of using American economic strength to leverage foreign nations into conceding in some way to benefit the American people. Trump’s largest opponent, Mexico, will be pressured into increasing border security and decreasing cartel activity. The president also claims Canada has been allowing illegal immigration and drug trafficking but has little evidence to support his claims. However, if the Canadians do allow illegal immigration and drug trafficking across the border, tariffs will serve to pressure the Canadians to halt these actions.
Finally, Trump’s decision to implement tariffs on China, because of claims of Chinese stealing new technologies and American advancements, may sound just, but it is not the best course of action. This attempted theft is relatively common across the international community, and tariffing a country that supplies a large portion of American imports drastically hurts both economies.
In fact, regardless of their intent, these tariffs will severely harm the people of the United States by increasing the prices of goods imported from China, Mexico, and Canada by as much as 25%. These tariffs, meant for pressuring countries committing minor offenses to the United States, have harmed all parties involved.
Additionally, tariffing imports from Canada and Mexico are unlikely to force these countries to cave, as their economies are large enough to withstand them easily. These retaliatory actions have not only harmed the U.S. economy, but international relationships.
As the executive orders slow down, the frequency of Trump impacting American foreign policy begins to decline. However, on Feb. 28, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, met with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to discuss a potential end to the Russo-Ukrainian war. Unfortunately for Zelensky, the meeting went incredibly poorly.
The current administration of the United States of America disrespectfully invited the president of a war-torn president to the country and attacked Zelensky for answering questions and responding to possible solutions with the crime of critical thinking and the truth. After the situation devolved completely into a yelling match and Volodymyr Zelensky left, American-Ukrainian relations, as well as American relations with the rest of Europe, had noticeably soured. This display of diplomatic bullying, with statements late in the meeting like, “You’ve done a lot of talking,” from Trump, and “Let’s go litigate those disagreements rather than trying to fight it out in the American media when you’re wrong,” from Vance should not be tolerated by the American people.
The morals and values of the United States have been replaced by the indiscriminate diplomatic abuse of America’s neighbors, allies, and enemies. Donald Trump has forced the rest of the free world to prepare for a world without the U.S., or even a world with a hostile United States. Understanding how Trump’s diplomatic actions impact our standing on the world stage, as well as the economic impact on America’s citizens, will better inform future voting decisions. If you value the national security of the United States, even if the Democrats support unpopular policies adverse to your interests, vote against Make America Great Again in future elections. Trump, with his continued diplomatic aggression, has proved “the great peacemaker” is a title the president will never achieve.
