Donald Trump could relate to the message. Last Friday, Russia’s Vladimir Putin told him he lost the 2020 U.S. presidential election because it was rigged through mail-in voting.
Three days later, Trump announced that his lawyers were drafting an executive order to eliminate mail-in balloting—a method used by nearly a third of American voters that has not been credibly linked to election fraud.
A decade ago, it would have been unthinkable for a U.S. president to take election advice from a Russian dictator who wins sham elections by a landslide while his opponents vanish or die. But for Trump, it wasn’t so surprising. He has consistently blurred the line between domestic grievances and foreign policy goals. Critics say he is uniquely open to manipulation because he views everything through the lens of self-interest.
Conservative commentator Charlie Sykes observed, “In Donald Trump’s world, there’s no real distinction between his international and domestic actions—it all revolves around him. There’s no ideology or consistency. It’s all about what serves his personal interests.” He added, “The idea of rolling out the red carpet for an internationally wanted war criminal just 19 months after he murdered opposition leader Alexei Navalny would be sickening in any context. But given Trump’s long history with Putin, I suppose we should have expected it.”
This blending of motives has been evident in Trump’s approach to issues like immigration, where countries like El Salvador have tried to win favor by jamming deportation victims into prisons. It also appears in his claims that trade tariffs will revive U.S. manufacturing, or in framing sanctions against Venezuela and Cuba as appeals to exile communities in Florida.
Trump’s first impeachment stemmed from his pressure on Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden. But no country has played a bigger role in his political narrative than Russia. In 2016, he publicly encouraged Russians to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails. This year, he baselessly accused Barack Obama of “treason,” alleging he tried to undermine Trump’s first term by linking him to Russian election interference.
Then came last Friday’s heavily promoted summit between Trump and Putin in Anchorage. During a brief press conference, Putin assured Trump that if he had won in 2020 instead of Biden, the war in Ukraine would never have happened.
This is a claim Trump has repeated constantly since his campaign last year and since returning to the White House in January. While right-wing media has echoed it, foreign leaders have avoided the topic. For Putin to parrot it back was clearly the validation Trump wanted.
Tara Setmayer, a former Republican communications director, noted: “Donald Trump seems to have an inexplicable affinity for everything Vladimir Putin does. The way Russia manipulates its elections—making them neither free nor fair—seems to be something Trump aspires to in order to hold onto power.” She added, “When Trump echoes a murderous dictator, a war criminal, and an enemy of the United States, and then tries to import those ideas into American politics, it should alarm everyone. Why would he want to emulate Putin?”
Trump’s inward-looking focus also complicates meetings with visiting world leaders. Over the past seven months, many have had to sit quietly while he holds forth on Democrats, fake news, or other domestic issues that would norTypically, such remarks would be intended for a domestic audience. But on Monday, with the world watching the Oval Office, it was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s turn to listen as President Trump veered off topic. Trump recounted a recent chat with a friend about his administration’s law and order efforts in Washington, D.C.
The 79-year-old president meandered: “He has a son who’s a great golfer. He’s on tour and came in fourth yesterday in the big tournament where Scottie Scheffler made that great shot. And he said his son is going to dinner in Washington, D.C., tonight. I said, ‘Would you allow that to happen a year ago?’ He said, ‘No way. No way.’”
When a reporter asked about Trump’s social media post on mail-in ballots, the president admitted, “Well, that’s very off topic,” but then launched into a lengthy reply. He promised to end mail-in voting and shifted into a tirade against Democrats: “Because with men and women’s sports, and transgender for everybody, and open borders, and all the horrible things—and now the new thing is, they love crime.”
Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy also featured familiar campaign-style attacks on his Democratic predecessor. “Look, this isn’t my war; this is Joe Biden’s war,” Trump stated. “Joe Biden, a corrupt politician, not a smart man—never was.”
Zelenskyy, who in 2023 praised Biden for his surprise visit to Kyiv and last year commended the 46th president’s “strong decisions” and “bold steps” in supporting Ukraine, remained silent throughout.
Trump’s tendency to disparage past presidents represents a sharp break from tradition. Regardless of their private opinions, Ronald Reagan never publicly criticized Jimmy Carter’s handling of the Iran hostage crisis while hosting foreign leaders, nor did Barack Obama condemn George W. Bush over the Iraq invasion in such settings.
Joel Rubin, a former assistant deputy secretary of state, noted: “I find it shocking because American presidents have historically refrained from attacking one another. They might critique policies, but they avoid personal insults. America’s strength in foreign policy lies in our consistency, bipartisan mindset, and national patriotism. Belittling previous presidents in front of international audiences is starkly different. Trump is doing something unprecedented.”
Rubin added that Trump’s default is to claim Biden is the worst at everything. “It wasn’t like they asked him about Biden. He chose to bring it up. It suggests a deep insecurity about his own standing. He’s trying to show greatness by constantly putting others down. If the British prime minister were interviewed and constantly trashed Sunak or Cameron—‘Oh, those people, they did Brexit’—it would give the impression the country is falling apart.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about the topic At home and abroad US policy chaos has one constant Trumps selfinterest with clear and concise answers
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 What does this phrase mean US policy chaos has one constant Trumps selfinterest
This phrase suggests that while US policies under the Trump administration often appeared unpredictable or inconsistent the one thing that consistently explained them was how they served Donald Trumps personal or political interests rather than a fixed national strategy
2 Can you give me a simple example of this
A common example is the sudden change in policy toward Turkey After a phone call with Turkeys president Trump abruptly ordered the withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria a move that critics argued benefited Turkey and Russia but was widely seen as undermining US allies and national security interests
3 Why is policy consistency important for a country
Consistent policy allows allies to trust you and adversaries to predict your actions which creates stability Frequent unpredictable shifts can confuse international partners weaken alliances and embolden rivals making the world a more volatile place
4 How does focusing on selfinterest differ from focusing on national interest
National interest refers to the security and economic wellbeing of the country and all its citizens Selfinterest in this context refers to what benefits one person politically financially or in terms of personal reputation which may not align with whats best for the nation as a whole
IntermediateLevel Questions
5 What are some specific ways this chaos manifested in domestic policy
Domestically it was seen in rapid shifts on issues like healthcare and COVID19 where messaging from the White House often contradicted scientific experts creating public confusion
6 How did this approach affect international relations and treaties
The US withdrew from or threatened to leave several key international agreements with little consultation with allies This created diplomatic friction and a perception that the US was an unreliable partner
7 Werent these policies just part of his America First agenda How is that selfinterest
While America First was presented as putting
