Upon the announcement of a deal with China to offset what at first seemed like an inevitable trade war, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to brag.
The meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping resulted in a 90-day trade truce and stalled an impending increase of tariffs against China from 10% to 25%.
But while Trump was celebrating, American diplomat and president of the Council of Foreign Relations Richard Haass pointed out a pattern in Trump's foreign policy. Haass indicated that Trump tends to sow mistrust and instigate aggression with foreign allies and enemies alike, before then making a deal that lessens the hostility Trump himself created. Trump then presents the deal as having exceeded expectations.
In the case of North Korea, Trump went from referring to the country's dictator Kim Jong Un as "Little Rocket Man" to announcing a meeting with him that claimed to result in a plan to denuclearize. However, in the weeks following the meeting, it appears that North Korea isn't abiding by its commitment.
With the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Trump threatened to isolate our Canadian allies, resulting in increased hostility between the two nations. Though a new NAFTA deal — now referred to as the USMCA — was signed by Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña at the G20 Summit, it still awaits ratification from each country's government.
Americans all over agreed with Haass's assessment.
Some thought the approach extended beyond foreign policy and further into Trump's very nature.
Haass was far from the only American with criticisms about the deal.
Americans thought the temporary hold on tariff increases wasn't enough and that Trump's entire performance at the G20 Summit was lackluster.
Trump's original increase of tariffs against China by 10% resulted in job losses, increased prices for consumers, factory closures, and general economic hardship for those on the receiving end.
Trump may claim his deals are above reproach, but as Haass points out, creating a problem, then haphazardly fixing it before gloating is not effective foreign policy.
