In his Wall Street Journal column Walter Russell Mead predicts that, in the event he is re-elected, President Trump’s second term foreign policy will be “Trumpier”:
A second Trump term would almost certainly be “Trumpier†than the first. For much of his first term, Mr. Trump surrounded himself with well-known conservative foreign-policy figures and senior military leaders, often deferring to their advice. More experienced, more confident in his own judgment and less deferential to others’ expertise, Mr. Trump likely will fill senior positions with people who reflect rather than challenge his instincts and priorities.
There will be resistance from inside the government, but this time around it won’t come from senior officials, only from career civil servants in the Pentagon, State Department and the Treasury, aided by allies in the intelligence world. Expect explosive leaks, bureaucratic slow-walking and a permanent state of trench warfare in the government machine.
suggesting he’s likely to drive a wedge between the U. S. and our NATO allies, focus more closely on the Western hemisphere (immigration in particular, and devote less attention to climate change.
If he’s trying to scare me, he’s not succeeding.
