The ugly, the bad and the good of Trump’s first month

Some say Donald Trump has had the “worst”, “most unsettling” start to a US presidency in recent history. Some assume the traditional, courtesy honeymoon period enjoyed by each new administration has already ended. Certainly, the Trump administration’s report card for its first month in office is messy by any account. Most seem to be revolting against his notorious executive order on immigration; his national security adviser had to resign, his labor secretary nominee has withdrawn, a great number of key decision-making positions remain unfilled; and reports have it that Trump is even having trouble adapting to life in the White House. And that is not to mention his seemingly endless war of words with the media.

At home, he is an unpopular leader, widely viewed as erratic, self-absorbed, worrisomely unprepared for presidential functions. Abroad, he has left many wondering whether, or to what extent, he may disrupt traditional alliances and partnerships, and ultimately affect the global geopolitical landscape.

Still, there is at least one thing to celebrate: For all the confusion and contradiction on the home front, the Trump administration has, so far at least, made none of the foreign policy blunders his campaign rhetoric promised. That in itself qualifies as a remarkable feat given the dangerous potential of his campaign-trail rhetoric and the fact that he has sought to deliver on poorly thought-out policy promises on domestic issues.

In fairness to the Trump administration, with regard the China-US relationship it is actually to be commended, considering the prevailing sense of uncertainty surrounding this crucial bilateral relationship after Trump, prior to taking office, ruffled diplomatic feathers with an offensive phone conversation with the leader of Taiwan and the threat not to uphold the one-China principle.

The diplomatic interaction between Beijing and the new administration in Washington, though feisty in the beginning, seems to have proved instrumental in facilitating initial mutual understanding. Both sides seem to have emerged from the first weeks more conscious of the other’s core concerns and bottom lines, and their assurance to each other of their commitment to constructive engagement is a precious gain on its own.

With their divergent agendas and world outlooks, it would be difficult for Beijing and Washington to become allies. But the first month of the Trump presidency shows they do not have to be enemies either.