100 days of solitude: Trump’s America and the world

In just 100 days back in office, Donald Trump has managed to achieve what many believed was impossible — he has presided over an accelerated, historic retreat from U.S. global engagement. Through a succession of ego-driven, self-inflicted wounds, he is leaving the United States increasingly isolated. Under the banner of “America First,” Trump has turned his back on decades-old alliances, walked away from international agreements, and embraced authoritarian strongmen while alienating democratic partners.

The result is a new era of solitude: a United States that the world no longer regards as reliable and no longer invites to have a meaningful seat at the table. America now watches multilateral gatherings — from NATO meetings to climate summits — from the sidelines. The first 100 days of Trump’s second presidency have been marked not by renewed strength, but by aggressive, self-defeating policies and growing marginality.

A global realignment has accelerated. Allies are forging new coalitions without the United States. European nations are strengthening their own defense systems, global trade deals are being signed without U.S. participation, and international organizations are moving forward without American leadership. Trump’s America stands apart — making a lot of noise, drawing attention, but more and more alone.

Today, instead of what former Secretary of State Madeline Albright’s often described as the “indispensable nation,” the United States is at risk of becoming a rogue nation. It rejects the norms and principles that undergird the international system it helped build eight decades ago. The Trump administration’s disdain for the European partners that were so integral to that constructive, post-World War II effort is particularly myopic.

Trump has acted unilaterally to end the Ukraine war, clearly siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has an affinity for the Russian strongman — in sharp contrast to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who Trump, along with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, berated and humiliated in the White House in late February and who Trump accused of being a dictator who started the war. It is unclear whether the surprising meeting between Trump and Zelenskiy at the Vatican will prove to be a step towards meaningful progress in bringing the war to an end. At best, Trump has been wildly erratic on this issue, which has not inspired confidence in his ability to broker a deal that will be acceptable to the parties.

Trump has been particularly arbitrary and unpredictable in imposing sweeping tariffs, his preferred foreign policy instrument to get countries to bend to his will. On February 1, he applied 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, ostensibly aimed at inducing both governments to be tougher on immigration and fentanyl. Trump resorts to threats and punitive measures to get what he wants from countries that, he’s convinced, have long taken advantage of the U.S.

For many around the globe, such a view — coming from the leader of the richest and most powerful country in the world that has benefited immeasurably from the prevailing global system — is hard to fathom. The trade war Trump unleashed against China has been especially worrying, unsettling global markets and resulting in considerable economic loss and pain in both countries. For Trump, the prospect of higher inflation and unemployment in the U.S. — in part triggered by the tariffs — carries great political risk.

Mexico aside, in Latin America the 10% tariffs applied across the board on April 2 have, in effect, nullified, or at least weakened, the free trade agreements the U.S. has with a dozen countries in the region. With that backdrop, it is hard to imagine that any country would have much faith in a deal negotiated with this administration. Moreover, although the imposition of tariffs was not surprising — Trump has long been a tariff advocate — the U.S. president’s repeated insistence on retaking the Panama Canal caught many off guard, as did Trump’s views about making Canada the 51st state and his ambitions of territorial expansion in Greenland. Such reckless rhetoric and posture further separate the U.S. from the world.

Trump’s bluster and bullying on the global stage — his pursuit of greater power — has been mirrored in his nakedly authoritarian tendencies on the domestic front. With the Republican-controlled Congress abdicating its role and responsibility to be a check on the executive’s conduct, the president has pursued relentless attacks on the rule of law and courts, as well as such key institutions of civil society as independent media and private universities. The same pressure tactics employed with foreign governments are being used within the United States. The result has been widespread anxiety and fear, compounded by indiscriminate cuts in the national government workforce and services, under the direction of Elon Musk.

At the 100-day mark, however, there are indications that an emboldened and confident Trump has overreached, setting off a societal backlash against his foreign and domestic policies. Although public opinion in the U.S. has moved towards greater support for border security and mass deportations, the incompetence and cruelty — and the complete lack of due process — with which the policy is being carried out is widely rejected. At a basic, human level, the heartbreaking stories and outrageous images are piling up, epitomized by the over 200 alleged Venezuelan criminals being deported to what is known as El Salvador’s “tropical gulag.”

The most recent poll numbers coinciding with 100 days in office suggest that, beyond his core base, Trump has lost significant support with the American people. Even on immigration, which has been Trump’s best issue, more Americans now disapprove than approve of his policy. On specific cases, the numbers are even worse for Trump. According to the Washington Post poll, only 21% of independent voters want wrongfully deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia to remain imprisoned in El Salvador, while 39% say he should be returned to the United States.

Various polls show that 60% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s foreign policy overall, the highest number since such polling began on this question in the late 1970s. The levels of disapproval on trade and tariffs are even higher. Trump got high marks for managing the economy in his first term (pre-COVID), but today the vast majority of Americans disapprove of his performance. A worsening economy could well turn even Trump’s hardcore supporters against him.

Will these bad poll numbers affect Trump and lead him to adjust his policies? Perhaps, to some extent. The problem, however, is even if he leans in one direction or another, he will remain, as he always has been, unpredictable — hardly a recipe for greater trust. It is possible that more Congressional Republicans, who may have to face unhappy voters in November of next year, will begin to distance themselves from Trump and rein him in, trying to stem authoritarianism at home and isolation in the world.

The outlook is grim. Yet, while the U.S.’s bridges to the world are damaged, they are not entirely destroyed. It is urgent to change course. Otherwise, the solitude of the United States in the first 100 days of the second Trump presidency will become more and more difficult to reverse.

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