Trump's global influence is waning - just look at how Putin treats him

For power to be effective it also needs to be smart

cancel email WhatsApp link share Share bookmark Save

share cancel email WhatsApp link bookmark

The President of the United States is thought of as the most powerful position in the world, leading a nation with huge economic and geopolitical influence. Donald Trump has certainly relished the role, using his power to strong-arm world leaders and implement his policies across America. While he retains a loyal base of support, cracks have started to show. Prominent Republicans have distanced themselves from his plans, Vladimir Putin seems to repeatedly ignore Trump’s diplomatic interventions on Ukraine and polls show that the majority of Americans disapprove of him. So is Trump’s power dwindling? Sarah Baxter, Matt Frei and Simon Marks offer their perspectives.

President Trump is known and feared for his swagger on the global stage.

But this conceals a fair degree of stagger from a man whose power is weakened by a combination of vanity and impatience.

His geo-political version of The Apprentice finale in the sands of Sharm el-Sheik was on the surface an extraordinary display of global fealty. Leaders from our Prime Minister to the Indonesian President were summoned to the stage like extras in a Trump movie to pay homage to the great peacemaker. It was as impressive as it was cringe worthy.

But, as Trump likes to say when it comes to peace: it takes two to tango. A glaring absence from the stage was a dance partner without whom no tango can happen. And that was Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A more powerful president would have forced Netanyahu to come and shake hands with the President of the Palestinian authority Mahmoud Abbas.

American power is not what it used to be. A boastful Trump would beg to differ, but Trump’s grandiloquence inevitably sets him up for failure.

Boasting that he would end the Ukraine war in a single day was obviously silly. Bragging that he could bend Vladimir Putin to his will was equally misguided. The wily former spy has not changed his line on Ukraine once in 10 months of the Trump White House.

The American President, on the other hand, has veered like a shopping trolley. Remembering only what the last person in the room or on the phone has told you is a sign of weakness. Dispensing with experts who have a longer memory than you, remember details and grasp the historical context is ill-advised when dealing with someone like Putin who likes to water-board his interlocutors with his version of history. Trump and his side kick from the world of Manhattan real estate Steve Witkoff don’t stand a chance.

For Trump it is all personal. When the talks over Ukraine stall it’s because “Vladimir has let me down”. When he is finally moved to install sanctions it’s because “Vladimir promised peace and still bombed schools and hospitals…”

Does the President never watch television (other than Fox) or listen to his advisers? Unfortunately he dispensed with the veteran Russia experts in the administration who actually speak the lingo. Fiona Hill, who had that job in the first Trump White House – and before that for Obama and Bush – told me that he didn’t listen to advice, especially if it contradicted his own gut instincts.

Trump instead subscribes to the Might is Right school of government and prides himself on his ability to deal with the only people he really respects, be they Saudi crown princes, Qatari emirs or British kings.

Top of that list is also Xi Jinping. Trump wants to be liked and respected by the Chinese leader, but when he picked a fight with Beijing over trade by imposing extremely punitive tariffs he had not done his homework on one crucial issue. Even though China sells more to America than vice versa, China also has a virtual monopoly on the rare earth metals that America needs for everything from smart phones to cars and fighter jets. By threatening to withhold their sale Xi had Trump by the throat.

It is the main reason why the China tariffs keep getting delayed or watered down. Of course, America once also possessed rare earth metal mining and processing capacity but the private companies involved gave it up because they weren’t making enough money. They outsourced the industry to China – and now America is paying the price.

On paper any American president possesses pharaonic powers, but for power to be effective and live up to its awesome potential it also needs to be smart. The boast needs to be judged by the result that power can achieve. On Gaza and Ukraine I wish the President well. I have no doubt that he genuinely wants to see an end to the bloodshed. But is he using his powers in the most effective way to achieve this goal?

There is one arena where the President has been more willing to exercise almost unfettered power than any of his predecessors and that is at home. His declared campaign of revenge and retribution against his critics and foes has been remarkable.

As America approaches its 250 year anniversary since staging a successful revolution and rebellion against a British king, the American President is behaving as if he wants to rule like one. What an irony that the most successful republic in history is being subjected to an existential stress test not by terrorists or rival super powers, but by a democratically elected President with a clear mandate.

Matt Frei is a presenter at Channel 4 News and LBC