Trump’s Foreign Trip Weakens America

As Trump’s Asia trip nears its end, here is a look at just a few of the ways Trump has once again hurt America’s standing in the world.

Trump failed to offer a clear vision of U.S. foreign policy.

Washington Post: “Trump’s incoherent message to America’s allies in Asia”

Washington Post: “President Trump's 12-day tour of Asia was designed to offer a vision for U.S. foreign policy in the region and reassure allies at a time of worrying tension. So far, it has done neither.”

The Economist: “A presidential tour of Asia cannot hide the fact that America has turned inward, hurting itself and the world

Trump once again played into Putin’s hands by accepting Putin’s denial of Russia’s election interference, taking Putin’s word over the conclusions of the U.S. intelligence community.

Washington Post: “The weekend’s comments on Putin widen Trump’s credibility gap and, consequently, erode America’s standing on the world stage.”

Reuters: “Two former top U.S. intelligence officials said on Sunday they fear President Donald Trump is being manipulated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, after Trump said he believed Putin was sincere in denying Russian meddling in the 2016 election.”

New York Times: “[Trump’s] account of the conversation indicated he was far more inclined to accept the Russian president’s assertions than those of his own intelligence agencies, which have concluded that Mr. Putin directed an elaborate effort to interfere in the vote.”

Trump bonded with the authoritarian leader Duterte and failed to adequately address human rights concerns about his campaign of extrajudicial killings.

New York Times: “President Trump said on Monday that he had a ‘great relationship’ with President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, making little mention of human rights at his first face-to-face meeting with an authoritarian leader accused of carrying out a campaign of extrajudicial killings in his nation’s war on drugs.”

Reuters: “Trump and Duterte seem to have warmed to each other after meeting for the first time on Saturday at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group meeting in Vietnam. On Sunday, Duterte crooned hit Filipino love song ‘Ikaw’ (You) at a gala dinner for summit leaders in Manila, saying it was on ‘the orders’ of Trump. One of the song’s verses, translated from Filipino, begins: ‘You are the light in my world, a half of this heart of mine.’”