Member-only story
“America First, Diplomacy Redefined”
Trump’s America-First Diplomacy: A Cold Welcome for Macron, Starmer, and Zelensky
Donald Trump’s return to the world stage has reaffirmed his commitment to the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) doctrine – a direct, transactional, and nationalist approach to diplomacy. The recent presidential meetings he conducted with Emmanuel Macron along with Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelensky conveyed to the world that America will stop funding foreign operations. The United States will stop sending unaccountable financial support to Ukraine. Meaning, allies must prove their worth.
Trump announced the conclusion of an era when America provided automatic backing for overseas wars. All leaders who visited Washington during this period failed to obtain any of their expected commitments regarding military aid along with trade agreements or diplomatic support. Ever since his rise to power Trump has implemented his belief system where concepts of strength and leverage and national interest become brutal instruments. Macron experienced indifference during the meeting and Starmer received professional treatment from Trump who then aggressively rejected Zelensky.
