Trump: Enemies Foreign and Domestic

On yesterday’s editorial call, my good friend and colleague, Byron King, mentioned that The Donald was doing well domestically, but abysmally when it came to foreign policy.

I recalled how I wrote about King Leopold III of Belgium, who had the same problem. So I started thinking about The Donald and his nearly schizophrenic second administration.

Americans are happy with his domestic policy, and they should be. But cartographically befuddled Americans ignore foreign policy to their detriment. There are a lot of balls at play here, and I’ll try to keep this short.

If you only paid attention to America’s borders and bureaucracies, you might think Trump 2.0 is the most effective presidency in modern history.

From the moment he returned to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Trump unleashed a whirlwind of executive orders that targeted everything from DEI to the Paris Climate Accords. The man practically declared war on bureaucracy itself—and this time, he didn’t bring a knife to a gunfight.

But step outside the continental U.S., and the picture changes dramatically. Ukraine burns, Gaza crumbles, trade partners recoil, and the “America First” foreign policy sounds more like “America Cursed.”

Welcome to the paradox of Trump’s second term: ruthlessly effective at home, calamitously ineffective abroad.

Home Turf: Dominate and Deliver

Let’s start with what Trump got right, at least in the eyes of his base.

Immigration Reform

Trump took the gloves off. He scrapped Obama-era protections that kept ICE out of places like schools and hospitals, expanded detention centers like Guantanamo’s Migrant Operations Center, and deported over 37,000 people in his first month alone. Notably, he invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798—because nothing says “originalist” like dusting off legislation written during the John Adams administration.

He restricted undocumented access to federal programs like Head Start, attempted to gut birthright citizenship, and nuked Biden’s humanitarian parole programs. Even the Family Reunification Task Force didn’t survive the MAGA scorched-earth campaign.

He flirted with suspending habeas corpus during periods of what he called “invasion.” Whether constitutional scholars choked or cheered was beside the point—the base ate it up.

The Executive Blitz

Trump’s pen didn’t rest on Day One. He signed more executive orders in 24 hours than most presidents do in a month.

He banned DEI in federal agencies, declared English the national language, axed electric vehicle mandates, and ended federal censorship of online speech. His reorganization of the U.S. Digital Service into the Department of Government Efficiency (perfectly acronymed “DOGE”) added a touch of bureaucratic trolling to the mix.

And for good measure, he told the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accords to take a hike. Again.

Border Security

He declared a new national emergency, restarted wall construction, and prioritized deportations. Even Schedule F, rebranded as “Schedule Policy/Career,” returned like a zombie HR directive, giving the White House unprecedented control over the federal workforce.

Love it or loathe it, Trump knew what he wanted done—and he did it.

Abroad: A Foreign Policy Dumpster Fire

Now, the bad news.

Ukraine

Trump vowed to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. Instead, he fumbled the diplomacy so badly that Russia now looks emboldened, not ready to make a deal. And why would they? Russia is dominating Ukraine, while Trump’s Deep State advisors gave him bad intelligence about the fatality ratio. He spent more time criticizing Ukraine than actually walking its leadership back from the ledge of oblivion. The “peace process” turned into a Kremlin wishlist.

Europe, watching this mess unfold, grew increasingly skeptical of U.S. leadership. European trust in NATO support has eroded—and that’s before you factor in Trump’s ongoing disdain for defense spending commitments. I don’t care much about Europe’s opinion, but I’m disappointed in The Donald’s performance.

Middle East Misfire

Trump’s Gaza strategy was part fantasy, part farce. After briefly brokering a ceasefire, he proposed turning Gaza into a “Riviera.” Seriously. Arab leaders were not amused.

His administration gave Israel carte blanche to reoccupy Gaza, something previous presidents—yes, even hawkish ones—never dared to do. The result? Prolonged war, regional backlash, and zero diplomatic progress.

Adelson’s $200 million donation has handcuffed Trump, even though it’s clear he loathes Bibi. (And he’d be more in Bibi’s face were it not for AIPAC and its overwhelming influence on Capitol Hill.)

Iran and the Broader Mideast

Nuclear talks with Iran fell flat. Nothing changed, except the location of the photo ops. U.S. strikes in Yemen meant to contain the Houthis backfired, turning into PR disasters and real military losses in the Red Sea.

I’m still not convinced the U.S. has seriously damaged Iran’s ability to make a nuclear weapon, despite all the protestations about the hit on Fordow.

Trade

The tariff policy? A boomerang.

Again, I understand what he’s trying to do here. He needs to break America’s appetite for cheap imports and is doing this by taxing them (via tariffs). But he must stop flip-flopping every five days.

Allies began bypassing the U.S. in trade deals. Supply chains reoriented toward Asia. The Global South congealing into an anti-American bloc is precisely what The Donald wants to avoid, but it’s what he’s inadvertently creating.

American credibility? In the basement.

Diplomatic Collapse

From Europe to the Pacific Rim, allies are whispering what they used to say only in diplomatic cables: the U.S. is no longer reliable.

This is more than optics. When countries can’t count on consistent policy from one term to the next, they start hedging. Enter: BRICS expansion, the Belt and Road Initiative 2.0, and alternative reserve currency experiments.

Global leadership isn’t something you abdicate in a fit of populist pique. But that’s what DJT did.

Wrap Up

Trump is many things, but boring isn’t one of them.

Domestically, he’s an axe-wielding reformer, finally delivering on long-promised right-wing goals. But internationally, he’s out of his depth—sowing chaos, diminishing U.S. influence, and opening the door for rival powers to assert themselves.

In the end, Trump’s second term may be remembered not for what he built at home, but for what he broke abroad.

And the rubble may not be as easy to clear next time.