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| Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump during their public fallout in February (Image: People.com) |
By the end of Donald Trump's presidency - whether it is at the end of his second term or earlier - his actions and words will form only a small part of his legacy. The largest part of his legacy will be determined by the character of other world leaders towards him. Who will do anything to 'woo' him, and who will stand up for their country against his narcissism, bullying and blatant attempts to send the world - America included - crashing?
There is a sense of Trump calling all the shots, and he's absolutely revelling in it while the US markets crumble, major economies mull over their next, tricky steps, and nations in the middle of wars are facing even greater and fearful futures. For example, you may see in the news that 'Ukraine war end is in sight' with a proposed ceasefire agreement on the table. However, in reality, if Trump gets his way, this time next year will see Ukraine named the United States of Ukraine.
It isn't just Ukraine that should be wary. Trump has his sights set on Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal, anywhere to get America's '51st state' or additional power. He's already renamed Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Elsewhere, he's imposed crippling tariffs on Canada, Mexico and the European Union (EU) which he has u-turned on a number of occasions. The UK has also seen the brunt of this with the steel industry particularly nervous. He also has plans for Gaza, suggesting that it should be turned into a Trump resort, should Israel ever decide to stop bombing the place. He may see it as a joke, but the little value he has on people's lives, as a result, is dangerously irresponsible.
In such a short space of time, Trump has done a remarkable job to rattle so many cages at once. I suppose we should have been grateful for his isolationist ideology during his first term, where he didn't want anything or anyone coming to America. But back then, he had relatively reasonable people behind him - his Vice President at the time, Mike Pence, seems like a delight now. Trump was happy enough to rely on right-leaning politicians, until they turned their backs on him the moment his die-hard supporters stormed into the US Capitol Building on 6th January 2021. Between then and today, while some Republicans have changed their tune on that fateful day, it hasn't stopped the current President from distancing himself from them and instead being surrounded by those who endorsed the riots from day one. He has effectively used the four years to plot revenge, on the system and the rest of the world who were all too glad to see the back of him.
Other countries in the middle of this revenge plot are at a complete loss. Canada and Mexico are doing well to hold their ground against plans of tariffs and annexation. The EU is also largely united against his threats, with its President and Commissioner, Ursula Von Der Leyen, leading the response. Ukraine is at an incredibly vulnerable position, and is willing for a ceasefire so long as it results in the end of bloodshed to the country, minimal compromise of land ownership and that any agreement is not initiated by Russia's Vladimir Putin. Unfortunately for its leader Zelenskyy, to stop the bloodshed, he needs to compromise (as, of course, does Putin) and Putin is needed at the negotiating table otherwise every effort to end the war is pointless. Now isn't the time for Zelenskyy to show naivety and war fatigue.
Elsewhere, the UK's Keir Starmer is very keen to be at the heart of this peace deal and in doing so is bending over backwards to please Trump, purely because of this foolish belief that both countries have a 'special relationship', not realising that his American counterpart would never feel that way, and if he did, he'd capitalise on it for his personal gain. And it's for this reason that Starmer is stretching his government's budget by increasing military funds at the expense of helping those closer to home. He's doing an excellent job in allowing the US to wash its hands of a situation too complex for Trump to want to handle.
As much as his supporters wants to portray Trump as someone who wants to end the invasion of Ukraine, his muddled priorities are telling us a different story. One minute he's kicking Zelenskyy out of the White House for daring to speak while also having friendly chit-chats with Putin over the phone. The next minute he insists that a US-led ceasefire will be signed by all parties involved, while imposing more sanctions on Russia. It's hard for anyone to work on this erraticism, especially when millions of lives are at stake. To give Trump rare credit, he's right to open dialogue with Putin and Russia, however, he's the wrong person to do it. They both think alike. A ceasefire may be around the corner, but new battle lay on the horizon. Ukraine will never see a road towards peace unless Trump and Putin are out of power.
The world is too fragile to rely on Trump, and his behaviour should be called out. Doing so may result in his very public tantrums and kneejerk reactions, but as this is already showing signs of backfiring, those who held strongly against the bullying and intimidation will be the ones who have the overall upper hand. The longer Trump continues, the more likely he will reduce the US to a rogue state, just as how the country describes Syria, North Korea and the like.
The biggest losers from his politics, strangely, isn't Ukraine, Gaza or Canada - but the American people. His mantra of 'Make America Great Again' has never been part of his plan. It's as big a lie as the infamous Brexit bus which said leaving the EU would mean more investment in the UK's National Health Service. You'll see a considerable proportion of his supporters turning their backs on him and his ideology, but the brainwashing has spread so far and wide right now, it'll only take strong leadership from the opposition to turn this period into a phase rather than a long-term reality. The world has worked so hard to move on from a time where we had egotistical maniacs Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini leading powerful economies at the same time.
There are pockets of hope, that Trump's ideology is overhyped. Germany has just had its election and while Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) did incredibly well, not even Elon Musk's influence could get the party anywhere near power. Yes, the AfD came second, but incoming Chancellor, the Christian Democratic Union Party (CDU)'s Friedrich Merz has completely ruled out any coalition with the party. While mainstream politics has its flaws, there are vital and justifiable reasons why mainstream politics is such, and parties led by entrepreneurs and entertainers. Those who read politics academically, or have always worked in the field, will always understand processes and able to make grown up decisions. Politics is not business (or showbusiness), and even business Trump isn't good at, if his six bankruptcies are to go by.
What should these leaders, who held the US to the highest regard, do while Trump is running riot? The best friendships are those that promote and enact honesty and, occasionally, space. With the US President behaving the way he is, and with the people around him just as maverick, the notion of 'space', until he calms or goes, is exactly what is needed. Canada is steering that way and that stance has united the main parties which is crucial as the country has a general election later this year. Germany, who had just held an election, looks to also steer that way, as too has the EU with the exception of individual members who are either torn (Italy) or sympathetic (Hungary). The UK should follow suit if it isn't so consumed in wanting to agree with everyone to 'keep the peace'. That isn't friendship, that's playing second fiddle.
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