How a single sentence from Angela Merkel showed what Trump means to the world
Story highlights
- It is far easier for a President to have major influence over American foreign policy than over domestic policy
- Trump's moves represent the real possibility that America's engagement with its European allies may be fundamentally changing
Washington (CNN)On
Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel uttered a single sentence that
speaks to how fundamentally President Donald Trump has reshaped -- and
will continue to reshape -- the world, and America's place in it.
"The times when we could completely rely on others are, to an extent, over," Merkel said at a beer hall(!) rally to support her campaign.
While
Merkel made no mention of Trump specifically, she made clear that her
realization had come "in the last few days" -- a time period which
overlapped with a G7 meeting in which Trump blasted America's
traditional European allies over NATO obligations and made clear that he
was more than willing to go it alone on climate change and trade.
What
Trump's words -- and Merkel's reaction -- reveal is something that
sharp foreign policy minds have known since the start of Trump's
campaign: His true potential for drastic change exists in the foreign
policy sphere.
Trump's
ubiquitous "Make America Great Again" slogan was interpreted by many of
his followers as the idea that we would make America great again by
slaying political correctness, by bringing back jobs, by keeping
undocumented workers from entering our country, from showing the
mainstream media who's boss. It was re-making our daily life right here
in the good, old U-S-of-A that people were focused on.
But
"Make America Great Again," from the inception of Trump's campaign,
always had at least one foot in not only re-imagining America's role in
the world community but in reshaping the world community entirely.
Go back and read Trump's announcement speech in June 2015.
The first half of it is larded with talk of foreign policy -- all built
around the idea that foreign countries are playing the US for the fool.
A few examples:
- "When was the last time anybody saw us beating, let's say, China, in a trade deal? They kill us. I beat China all the time. All the time."
- "When do we beat Mexico at the border? They're laughing at us, at our stupidity."
- "The US has become a dumping ground for everybody else's problems."
Then there is this simple fact: It is far easier for an empowered chief executive to have major influence over American foreign policy than over domestic policy.
Virtually
everything a president can do on the domestic policy front is
circumscribed by the Congress. Trump's struggles to quickly pass health
care reform or secure funding for his much-promised border wall are just
two examples of how difficult it is to affect full-scale change in the
domestic sphere.
Trump's awkward visit with Merkel 02:01
While
presidents don't have entirely free rein when it comes to foreign
affairs, their powers are significantly heightened. Trump has already pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He's approved the Keystone pipeline. And now, in the last week, Trump had made clear he meant it when he said that he was not willing to commit to the Paris climate accords. (The Trump administration is expected to make a final decision on the climate deal later this week.)
That
series of moves -- all within Trump's first 150 days as president --
represent the real possibility that America's engagement with its
European allies, and its status as the financial pillar that stands up
many of the world's democracies, all of which have been realities since
the days following World War II, may be fundamentally changing.
"Merkel
saying Europe cannot rely on others & needs to take matters into
its own hands is a watershed-& what US has sought to avoid since
WW2," Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, tweeted Sunday.
To
be clear: Trump is far from the first president to make Europe nervous.
In the not-too-distant past, Europe was clearly spooked by what they
believed was the "cowboy" approach to foreign policy of then-President
George W. Bush. That view was largely based in Bush's approach to the
Iraq War and the "coalition of the willing" that notably didn't include
Germany and France. (Both supported the first Gulf war.)
But,
even amid that criticism, Bush never sought to undo or undermine the
basic tenets of NATO or the G7. He was a believer, in the broadest
sense, for the necessary strategic alliance between the United States
and Europe. Was he at one end of that spectrum -- particularly in his
early days as president? Yes. But, the point is he was on the spectrum.
Trump's
comments and decisions over his first 100-plus days in office raise
real questions as to whether he is on that same spectrum. On the
campaign trail, he promised a fundamental reshaping -- both domestically
and in foreign policy -- of how America is perceived. He appears to be
making good on that promise in ways many people never imagined.
As
Trump acts, the rest of the world necessarily reacts. And both the US
actions and how they impact what other leaders and other countries do
could well have lasting influence on America in the world that stretch
well beyond the four or eight years Trump will be president.
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