In the early going, Trump 2.0 approach on foreign policy is to talk loudly and carry a big stick
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump in his first week back in the White House has offered an early preview to his second-term foreign policy approach: Talk loudly and wield a big stick.
Over the weekend, Trump threatened to levy massive tariffs on Colombia after the country’s leftist president refused to allow a U.S. military plane returning deported migrants from the South American nation to land in the country.
He’s needled the Ukrainian president for “talking so brave” instead of negotiating with Russia. He’s flummoxed even Republican allies with his calls on Mideast nations to take in Palestinian refugees from Gaza, potentially moving out enough of the population to “just clean out” the war-torn area to create a virtual clean slate.
Through economic coercion and sharp rhetoric, Trump is signaling that he intends to be a bull in the China shop in hopes of extracting what he wants from allies and adversaries alike.
In the Colombia episode, President Gustavo Petro quickly relented in the face of Trump’s threatened tariffs — 25% on all Colombian goods coming into the country and doubling to 50% in a week. The moment may be just a taste of what is to come.
“It seems to me that from the Trump administration’s perspective, they’ve met their goal, right?” said Kevin Whitaker, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Colombia from 2014 to 2019. “It’s not just that they got what they wanted. The approval for the flights was secured. But they sent a message about their commitment to use all of the tools in their toolkit in order to achieve them.”
The hard-nosed approach from Trump in the showdown with Colombia was hardly unexpected. He vowed to quickly reverse the approach of his Democratic predecessor, President Joe Biden, whom he