Donald Trump, first of his name, lord of empty promises: How the world has grown weary of America’s blustering braggart-in-chief
US President Donald Trump, the man, the myth, the marketer-in-chief of make-believe victories. For someone who claimed he could stop wars before breakfast and close trade deals during lunch, one would assume he had, at the very least, a vague idea of how diplomacy works. But alas, his grandstanding has consistently proven to be about as effective as the Chinese air defence systems deployed by Pakistan.
Just as BrahMos missiles tore through the Pakistani sky, hitting their targets with ruthless precision while Chinese air defence systems dozed off like a bored watchman—unaware, unprepared, and utterly useless—Trump’s showboating too has followed the same pattern: jarringly advertised, spectacularly ineffective, and ultimately blind to reality.
Starting with his pièce de résistance: Russia-Ukraine conflict. During the campaign trail, Trump thundered that he would end the war “in 24 hours,” even going to the extent of claiming that the war would never have happened if he were the President.
Fast forward a few months, and reality, the war continues to grind on and there is no end in site, at least in the foreseeable future. Reports now suggest Trump may be quietly tiptoeing away from the mess he once promised to clean up. A man who marketed himself as the geopolitical troubleshooter now seems to be scampering away from troubles. Or perhaps, he never intended to do shoot the trouble in the first place.
Then came his tariff crusade, where he imagined he could scare the world into submission with import taxes and swagger. He slapped tariffs left and right like a man possessed, convinced that trade wars were “good and easy to win.” But reality hit hard—markets bled, Americans became jittery, anxiety swept over allies, prices rose, and economists sounded the alarm.
Eventually, after markets shuddered and his advisors subtly backed away, Trump performed his signature move: the humiliating climbdown disguised as a “huge victory.” Cue the China trade deal—the very country he vowed to pummel into economic submission. Naturally, he painted this retreat as a triumph, because in Trumpistan, every loss is an opportunity waiting to be marketed as an “alternative win.”
In South Asia, Trump didn’t miss a beat in hijacking credit for the India-Pakistan ceasefire. When India’s airstrikes crippled Pakistan’s terror infrastructure and exposed its hollow defense, it was Pakistan that came crawling for peace. But Trump, ever the opportunist, puffed up his chest and claimed the US had brokered calm. Reality check: the only thing America mediated was the live broadcast of his delusions.
And then there’s the Israel-Hamas conflict. When war erupted again in Gaza, Trump offered about as much substance as a motivational poster. He could neither rein in Israel’s offensive nor pressure Hamas to halt its provocations. Instead of presenting meaningful options to reduce civilian suffering or facilitate dialogue, Trump defaulted to his usual mode: tweeting tough, doing little, and declaring imaginary victories. Gaza burned, hospitals overflowed, and innocents suffered; all while Trump flailed to appear relevant. His inaction was so profound, one could almost believe he thought “Middle East peace” was just another branding opportunity. The people of Gaza got no relief, no roadmap, and certainly no peace, just another war in a growing list of global fires Trump claimed he alone could extinguish.
In the end, Trump’s foreign policy doctrine appears to be equal parts swagger, self-delusion, and a dash of narcissism. He’s the guy who turns up after the fireworks, claims he lit them, and insists they wouldn’t have exploded without his blessing.
Donald Trump is, as the popular saying goes, all hat and no cattle, though in his case, even the hat looks suspiciously borrowed.
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