From the very get go, the Trump administration has been noted for its groundbreaking initiatives both in terms of domestic and foreign policy issues. The great tariff wars he declared within days of taking office still reverberate. But we risk losing the forest for the trees if we fail to appreciate that the effort to correct tariff and other trade imbalances is of a piece with both the DOGE initiative and the Trump-Zelensky public confrontation last week.
Without putting a political edge to it, it is already becoming clear that for President Trump, “Make America Great Again” is not just a catchy political phrase but a thought-out policy of squeezing out maximum benefit for the United States at every possible turn.
Elon Musk’s extraordinary deep dive into every nook and cranny of federal spending and employment reflects a desire to root out the waste and inefficiency – and possible corruption – that necessarily hobble the federal bottom line. Indeed, though the jury is still out, DOGE projections already are reaching into the stratospheric trillions of dollars!
Similarly with the dispute over Ukrainian President Zelensky’s suspected profligate spending of U.S. aid and the dispute over the terms of U.S. access to Ukraine’s massive natural resources. Ukraine does not have the capacity to significantly develop its raw materials so a mutually beneficial arrangement would seem to be in the best interests of both countries. Additionally, Zelensky is balking at Trump’s demand that any deal take into account the over $100 billion the U.S. has provided to Ukraine by the Biden administration.
He likely was surprised to learn that the U.S. would pursue its own needs and no longer automatically play the role of universal patron for even those friendly nations that shared our democratic values and needed our largesse in defending them.
Indeed, emerging significant Chinese competition means we now have a serious need for Ukrainian resources if only to protect our national solvency.
Our perennial recklessness is finally catching up to us, so perhaps it is providential that someone who respects the bottom line is back in office. It will be interesting to see whether he can maintain our position as the leader of the free world.
