President Trump's Presidency: Results and Perspectives By James Petras Al-Jazeerah, CCUN, December 3, 2018

President Trump’s Presidency: Results and Perspectives

Introduction

We need an objective evaluation of the President’s foreign and domestic polices –
the means, the goals, their results and consequences. The Trump performance requires
we discuss the style and substance of foreign and domestic policies.

We will ignore the fly swatting by Trump critics who ply peripheral issues – the
state investigation of the fading Russian conspiracy tales--- and focus on strategic issues
that purport to transform global economic, political and social relations.

‘Trump at Work’: Foreign Policy

President Trump has a strategy and he works hard at realizing it.
High on Trump’s agenda is, first and foremost, asserting US global supremacy by
word and deed.

In pursuit of world power, he utilizes multiple weapons: he believes in the magic
powers of weapons and words. He asserts that prior Presidents ‘were weak and allowed
others to exploit us’. Today, under Trump’s leadership, he claims we are strong and
flexing our power everywhere at all time.

How does the President reveal strength? Through multiple wars, severe
sanctions, increased military spending and greater concentration of wealth, in strategic
locations.

As a result, according to Trump, we intimidate rivals, competitors and
adversaries.

Trump cites numerous examples. In Syria, we occupy regions, build new military
bases, hire and arm more mercenaries and drop larger bombs on more Syrian cities.
Trump boasts that he weakens Iran by ending the nuclear agreement, increasing sanctions
precipitating an imminent collapse and regime change. Trump trumpets the success of the
economic trade war against China and the downfall of Russia by encircling them with
nuclear missiles , military bases and economic sanctions.

Trump hails new political successes and military allies in Latin America.

Argentina,Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador are viewed as Trump’s market successes
and providing a vassal army to overthrow the governments of Venezuela, Cuba and
Nicaragua.

Trump brags about his success in ‘renegotiating’ NAFTA, renaming it and
claiming more favorable trade ‘deals’ with Mexico and Canada.

The European Union and each of its members have felt the wrath of Trump’s
threat of trade wars, and his demands for greater military contributions to NATO.
He has demanded the Germans buy US oil and gas instead of Russian; he
threatens to sanction European corporations who dare to abide by agreements with Iran;
Trump boasts of hundred-billion-dollar arms sale with Saudi Arabia, while affirming US
supremacy in the Middle East and North Africa.

President Trump, according to his bluster and boisterous self-acclaim, has won
every war, conquered all competitors and has laid the groundwork for an ‘American
Century’.

How many of Trump’s foreign policy twitters correspond to the real world and
how many are empty-handed ejaculations?

President Trump: Claims and Reality

Trump’s foreign policy strategy is mostly bluster than conquest, more boisterous
than business, more bluff than success.

Let’s start with Russia. Trump’s sanctions and military encirclement have failed
to weaken Russia. Berlin deepens trade ties with the Kremlin – buys more oil and gas,
builds pipelines and affirms EU autonomy in dealing with Russia. Military encirclement
involves third rate Baltic partners, and missile bases stationed in Poland. In contrast
Russia has deepened multi-billion-dollar military and economic agreements with China, a
world power.

Russia has responded to Trump’s ending of nuclear missile agreements by
building superior weaponry. By any measure, Russia has defeated Trump’s sanctions and
military threats.

Despite Trump’s bombast about ‘squeezing China’ with tariffs, China’s trade
surplus with the US has increased, while the US trade deficit has risen.

The US has grown by 2.8%, China’s by 6.5%. The US has failed to convince any
of its Asian allies to join its trade war against China. On the contrary, US so-called trade
war has encouraged Asia to replace US exporters. While Trump’s economic advisers
threaten Wall Street’s largest bankers to stop making billion dollar deals with China,
most have brushed Trump off. The bankers ignore Trump’s ‘trade war’ because profits
count more than gaseous rhetoric.

Saudi Arabia signs a $110 billion-dollar military agreement with Trump and then
buys only 10% . . . ‘fake deals’ to paraphrase the President.

Trump’s claim that the Saudis are a great ally ,yet it boycotts Qatar, which houses
the biggest US military base in the region. Israel, Trump’s Middle East ally, ignores
Trump’s economic sanctions with Russia and trade war with China, two of its biggest
high-tech trade partners.

The US wars are losing propositions. Afghan rebels control most of the country,
surround the provincial capitals and force US generals to seek withdrawal. US allies in
Syria have retreated. He relies on Kurdish separatists who have their own agenda, not
Trump’s.

In Latin America, Trump collects kudos from far-right regimes in Brazil and
Argentina which hover on the verge of economic collapse, social crisis and political
upheaval.

Domestic Success of Dubious Value

Trump trumpets his big tax cut for billionaires with overseas holdings. He claims
it is a success story – creating jobs and producing growth. In fact, over three quarters of
the returned profits have resulted in buy-backs increasing corporate dividends not
investment in productive activity.

Trump’s trade war with China has not added jobs – it has added cost for
consumers through higher prices.

His pro-business policies have strengthened the leverage of corporations in
securing multi-billion-dollar concessions from local and state governments. Jeff Bezos
the multi-billion dollar owner of Amazon, received over $10 billion dollars in tax
exemptions, in addition to state financed concessions.

In effect Trump’s large scale, long-term income transfers benefit the rich over the
poor, increase inequalities and lowering public funds for education, health and welfare.
Trump’s opposition to public health for all, international climate change
agreements, national infrastructure investments and regulation of bank oversight, has
increased the risk of natural disasters , financial crises and transport breakdowns.
Despite his retrograde domestic program, Trump retains electoral support and
does not face an immediate political threat ---for one basic reason: The Democrats offer
no alternatives.

The corporate Democrats who lead the Party, back all of his retrograde policies:
they support Trump’s increases in military spending; support tax reduction for the rich;
oppose a national health program for all.

Moreover, during Democratic President Obama’s two terms in office, trillions of
dollars bailed out the biggest banks while 3 million households suffered foreclosures;
minimum wages remained below the poverty level; inequalities widened ,as did racial
disparities.

Under President Obama 2 million immigrants were seized and expelled,
establishing a precedent for Trump’s anti-asylum policies.

In other words, Trump’s policies are a continuation and exacerbation of the
Obama regime.

Conclusion

Trump’s domestic and foreign policy demagogically capitalized on the failures of
the Democratic Party’s corporate socio-economic programs and multiple wars.

As a result, Trump’s exploited popular discontent and attracted big business
support by promising lower taxes and the end of regulations. In practice Trump’s
aggressive foreign and domestic policies contributed and added to Washington’s isolation
and decline. None of Trump’s original objectives have been achieved. The US has
multiplied adversaries who have grown stronger and more unified. Washington has lost
established markets without gaining new ones. His original electoral support has
declined without gaining new adherents. Trump’s reliable ‘allies’ (Israel, Saudi Arabia
Germany, etc.) have undermined his aggressive trade policies to China and Russia. Anti
Iran sanctions have exempted the biggest buyers of Teheran’s oil exports. If Trump has
failed to secure his domestic and foreign policy objectives these failures have not led to
any major loss of influence.

Europe is internally divided and unable to formulate any consequential
alternatives. Latin America faces economic crises which precludes any joint military
intervention despite ‘paper agreements’.

But the biggest failure is Trump’s policies to China. Each and everyone of
Trump’s major Asian allies has retained and increased trade agreements with Beijing.
Trump’s premature celebration of diplomatic victory over North Korea has evaporated.
North Korea has returned to and extended ties with China and Russia.

Trump’s strategic decisions have failed to secure his objectives. Not a single
world-shaking change has taken place. Trump’s generals may abandon Afghanistan but
no thanks to the Democrats or Europeans.

Trump trade wars with China has failed to secure more jobs in America, but his
Wall Street critics have negotiated bigger and more lucrative financial deals.

In a word, Trump’s failures have not led to greater and better conditions for
global markets, nor ended wars or improved living standards. Nevertheless many
progressives are pleased by Trump’s failures even though they are not beneficiaries.

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