Since taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration have taken a harsh approach to challenging the norms set forth by international organizations created to ensure global security.  President Trump and his senior officials have used executive orders, economic measures, and meetings with foreign leaders to express their vision for America’s role in the future world order.  From initiating a trade war with neighboring countries to defunding programs that provide aid to the world’s most vulnerable people, the U.S. has alienated its allies and opposed the objectives that once made up the core of American foreign policy.  In the upcoming weeks, world leaders will search for ways to navigate the new U.S. administration. 

Following a tense Oval Office meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Trump administration halted military spending on Ukraine despite having supported them for three years in the war with Russia (CNN).  The recent deterioration of U.S.-Ukraine relations comes after President Trump’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which represents a thawing of American relations with Russia.  Fearing President Trump may reverse American support for Ukraine and instead back Russia – an autocracy led by someone considered a war criminal by the International Criminal Court (ICC) – the rest of Europe is anticipating the future of the war without U.S. support for Ukraine. 

Another shocking reversal of American foreign policy from the Trump administration is the imposition of 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, disrupting decades of free trade secured by the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and its successor agreement, the United States, Mexico, and Canada Agreement (USMCA).  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slammed Trump’s tariffs, pointing out that the side effects are expected to impact North American consumers. He said that Trump has officially “launched a trade war” with his closest trading partners (CNN).  These tariffs mark a significant shift in U.S. relations with its neighbors.

The Trump administration has recently undermined global organizations designed to distribute humanitarian aid and secure human rights.  On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order to leave the World Health Organization (WHO), an organization crucial for improving standards of living worldwide.  The Trump administration cut funding for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a government agency providing food, medicine, and disaster relief for people worldwide.  The U.S. also imposed sanctions on the ICC, an international body tasked with investigating the most abhorrent human rights violations and war crimes.  The Trump administration is embracing an approach to foreign policy that does not value the role of international organizations in promoting global security. 

The Trump administration’s outlook on foreign policy has been the subject of intense international and domestic criticism.  Since Trump and Zelenskyy’s meeting, European leaders have begun discussing how to defeat Russia without the help of the United States. This week, European leaders held a summit in Brussels where they agreed on a defense spending plan to address the U.S. ceasing military aid to Ukraine, with several leaders confident that a European-led alliance is capable of winning the war with Russia (Reuters).  Prime Minister Trudeau has condemned President Trump’s tariffs on Canada, claiming that his new administration’s approach is part of a greater attack on Canadian sovereignty (NYT).  President Trump’s actions have also been the target of domestic criticism.  Federal courts have blocked some of the spending cuts that target international aid, and Congress has been openly critical of the humanitarian disaster that could ensue from cutting funds to USAID. 

Despite the intense backlash from the international community and domestic opposition, the Trump administration has doubled down on its new American foreign policy.  Referring to ceasing military aid to Ukraine, White House special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, told the Council of Foreign Relations that the Ukrainians “brought it on themselves” (The Guardian).  In addition, President Trump expressed via Instagram his vision for turning postwar Gaza into a real estate capital, calling it “Trump Gaza” in his post.  Trump has also rolled back some of his tariffs on Mexico and Canada. While that has eased fears about total economic disaster, it has tarnished America’s credibility as a trading partner.  Defending the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) decision to cut funding for life-saving humanitarian efforts worldwide, Elon Musk baselessly called USAID a “criminal organization” (ABC News).  At a time when the U.S. should be rallying to end wars, distribute aid, and promote economic growth for allies, the Trump administration is doing exactly the opposite. 

As significant conflicts worldwide intensify and vulnerable groups begin to suffer the consequences of U.S. foreign policy reversals, the international community and domestic opposition must continue their fight against the approach adopted by the Trump administration.  First, Europe should continue to build its economic and military alliances to ensure that, with or without the support of the U.S., it can overcome the threat of autocracy from Russia.  In addition, with new Prime Minister Mark Carney set to take office in Canada this week, his administration must uphold Prime Minister Trudeau’s sentiments about the danger of Trump’s tariffs on USMCA partners.  Now more than ever, America’s allies must remind the U.S. about its role in securing global democracy and economic prosperity.  Federal courts will also continue to be crucial tools for opposing Trump’s foreign policy reversals moving forward, as they have already managed to order the administration to restore funding to other programs affected by Trump’s federal spending freeze (NPR). 

While the opposition searches for ways to contain the damage already inflicted by the Trump administration’s foreign policy objectives, President Trump and his senior officials must take a less antagonizing approach to international politics.  Trump’s support for ICC-classified war criminals has the potential to catastrophically worsen wars that have already killed tens of thousands of civilians.  His tariffs on Canada and Mexico push away key trading partners and threaten to inflict economic hardship on millions of North American residents.  Pulling funding from USAID will result in tens of millions of people globally going hungry or without life-saving medical care, and devaluing U.N. organizations like the WHO leaves the entire U.S. vulnerable to global health emergencies.  To maintain friendships with the world’s other prominent democracies and contribute to international security, the Trump administration must immediately halt this America-first, anti-aid approach to foreign policy. 

As the world’s largest economy and most notorious democracy, the U.S. has always had an obligation to help the rest of the world achieve a basic level of security and economic prosperity through trade, diplomacy, and humanitarian aid.  In less than two months, the Trump administration has made reversals in these respects, putting American business interests above the world’s vast humanitarian needs and risking permanently distancing itself from allies.  As global tensions reach heights that haven’t neared in 80 years, the Trump administration must align with U.S. precedent and commit to the norms of international organizations designed to promote global security.