Washington, DC [US], January 1 (ANI):
With less than a month remaining in the first year of his second term, “Tariffs, Trade, and Tantrums” aptly sums up the governing style of the 47th President of the United States—an approach that has taken American politics and diplomacy into largely uncharted territory.
Donald Trump’s return to the White House has been marked by a whirlwind pace and an unorthodox style that many experts have described as “unpresidential” and, at times, reflective of a “cowboy diplomatic” approach. With three years still remaining in his second term, Trump has once again reshaped the contours of presidential power, often breaking protocol, testing legal boundaries, and, in some cases, landing his administration in court.
Guiding the White House through a framework centered on high-stakes deals, Trump’s governance has emphasized transactions over tradition. Whether in business negotiations, ceasefire efforts, or the imposition of punitive tariffs, his second administration has made clear choices: speed over process, pressure over persuasion, and deals over doctrine.
From aggressive tariff regimes and hardline immigration enforcement to transactional diplomacy and an expanded assertion of executive authority, the past year has redefined how the United States engages with itself and the world. While the country remains globally indispensable, experts argue that America’s credibility, consistency, and leadership optics have suffered, even as Trump continues to project himself as “the Peace President.”
Foreign affairs expert Robinder Sachdev characterizes Trump’s first year of his second term as high-impact, high-speed, and deeply disruptive, driven by extensive preparation, loyalist governance, and an unprecedented reliance on executive authority. West Asia strategist Waiel Awwad, meanwhile, describes the administration as operating with a “bullying” posture, producing both tangible outcomes and significant backlash, while blurring the distinction between strategic partners and trade adversaries.
The first year of Trump’s second term can broadly be assessed across six defining pillars. These include tariffs as a primary tool of statecraft, immigration enforcement as a form of political theater, lingering controversies such as the Epstein files, ambitious yet fragile claims of peacemaking, transactional diplomacy—particularly with India—and the reshaping of a multipolar global order amid America’s increasingly contested international role.
Tariffs have emerged as the defining instrument of Trump’s second-term statecraft. Rolled out rapidly and often unpredictably, they have been presented as remedies for trade imbalances, fiscal deficits, and even geopolitical disputes. According to Sachdev, tariffs served four objectives: correcting perceived historical unfairness, generating revenue, cushioning domestic political constituencies, and compelling foreign investment into the United States.
“He had three or four objectives in mind with regard to tariffs,” Sachdev said. “One is his lifelong belief that other nations have taken unfair advantage of America. Second was revenue generation, which became a defining feature of his first year.”
Sachdev noted that Trump increasingly viewed tariffs as leverage for what he described as “peace diplomacy.” Funds collected through tariffs, he said, were also positioned as support for industries affected by trade disruptions, while threats of tariffs were used to pressure foreign governments into investing in the US. Claims linking tariff threats to peace efforts in regions such as South Asia and Southeast Asia, however, remain contested.
Investment announcements from the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Gulf states, and others—collectively totaling USD 9.6 trillion, according to the White House—have been cited by the administration as validation of this coercive economic model, despite Trump’s claims of securing more than USD 20 trillion. Critics argue, however, that the approach has alienated key partners.
“He acknowledged that he lost India to China and Russia because of the tariff imposed on India,” Awwad said. “That kind of harsh measure does not reflect good leadership.”
Awwad added that imposing tariffs on both adversaries and allies underscored what he described as a bullying diplomatic posture that has strained traditional partnerships.
While tariffs defined Trump’s foreign engagement, immigration enforcement dominated his domestic agenda. The administration pursued highly visible raids, mass arrests, deportation targets, and ICE operations designed to project deterrence.
“When ICE operations began, people were rounded up, and videos were widely circulated,” Sachdev said. He noted that agents were instructed to wear prominent ICE jackets and operate in convoys with sirens, contributing to a climate of intimidation.
Daily arrest targets and aggressive enforcement have pushed immigration battles into courts nationwide. Sachdev observed that America’s long-standing identity as a “melting pot” has increasingly resembled a “boxing ring.”
Awwad warned of growing internal unrest, saying the country risks deeper instability under Trump’s leadership. The administration later turned its attention to skilled immigration, imposing a USD 100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications, drawing criticism from industry leaders.
Controversies resurfaced around the Epstein files, with delayed disclosures and cabinet loyalty fueling public backlash, despite no wrongdoing being alleged against Trump. The president’s “peace president” narrative also faltered amid military actions involving Iran and Venezuela.
Efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war stalled following a failed Alaska summit and rejected peace proposals. “This is not a successful story,” Awwad said.
Relations with India were strained by tariff disputes, mediation claims, and canceled engagements, prompting New Delhi to recalibrate its approach. “America needs India more than India needs America,” Awwad noted.
As Trump enters the second year of his second term, experts agree that the world has adjusted to an increasingly multipolar order. “America will stay,” Awwad said, “but America is no longer the supreme superpower.”
One year into Trump’s second term, the scorecard remains mixed but consequential, with disruption defining governance and durability emerging as the central question. (ANI)
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