Trump’s policies divide US, allies

Since being sworn into power, US President Donald Trump has been quickly and firmly implementing his campaign promises. He has not only ordered an immediate withdrawal of theUnited States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, but also issued a travel ban against the citizens of sevenMuslim countries, and signed an executive order for a wall to be built along the US-Mexico border. During a phone call with Australian Prime MinisterMalcolm Turnbull, he even ridiculed a refugee agreement reached between theUS and Australia under the Barack Obama administration, and reportedly ended the call abruptly.

While Trump has promised a “newdeal” in the first 100 days of presidency, he has already caused much damage in his first 10 days, threatening the core checks-andbalances ofUS democracy. To retaliate against his travel ban, Americans nationwide are protesting against Trump’s radical move. The Senate minority leader Charles Schumer has called such a travel ban very “un-American” and San Francisco andWashington State have launched lawsuits against the president. More than 900US diplomats have officially lodged their dissent, saying that “such a ban will bring more harm to theUS than otherwise.” The UnitedNations has also expressed its concern over such a ban. Breaking American tradition not to comment on the present president, former president Obama has just spoken out to defend America’s “core value”.

Trump has not only hurtUS relations with theMuslim world, he has also upset theUS’ friends and allies. His disrespect of Australia has invited dissatisfaction from Canberra. His claim that Germany has been “tapping the weak euro” so as to exploit its trade partners, and his comment on Japan’s currency manipulation, have upset these major allies. And more than a million people in theUnited Kingdom have voiced their opposition to the UK government inviting Trump to visit, andMexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has decided to cancel his visit to theUS.

Even in his own country, Trump has shown no interest in mending the rifts he is creating. Millions of women have already staged demonstrations throughout America. Trump’s tolerance of the extreme alt-right, the newwhite supremacy movement, has ignited students’ open opposition at UC Berkeley. The Democrats are opposed to Trump’s pick for Supreme Court Judge toNeil M. Gorsuch and are pushing for his nomination to be refused.

Actually in eight days, Trump has managed to make his public approval rating lower than his disapproval rating, setting a record. He may still think all he has done is to put “America first”, but to attain greatness by denying people and theUS partners’ legitimate rights will hardly generate sustainable acceptance of American leadership.

In the face of the counter pressure, Trump’s team is reluctantly making adjustments. Thus far the WhiteHouse has allowed some 900 of green-card holders from the aforementioned sevenMuslim countries to return to theUS. It has watered down its enforcement of the travel ban, and argued that such a ban is not targeted at allMuslims. No one would reject Trump’s professed purpose of preventing terrorists from entering theUS, but most disagree with his simplistic, disruptive and discriminative immigration policy.

Until now, Trump has refrained from pushing the envelope on China. But in light of his actions over the past two weeks, it is better for Beijing to take Trump’s campaign threats seriously. However, just as his impulsive self-isolationist approach is distancing theUS from its allies, any unfair handling of China-US relations will only alienate theUS even more from the world. Remembering that the travel ban has been so unreasonable for theUS permanent residents of thoseMuslim countries from returning, the Trump administration should be mindful that any unilateral, noncooperative approach to China would only make it “ride a tiger but find it difficult to get off”.

Trump has, time and again, professed he wants to conduct fair deals. China welcomes fair business, but it is also against unfair deals.

... he has already caused much damage in his first 10 days, threatening the core checksand-balances of US democracy.

The author is professor and associate dean of Institute of International Studies, Fudan University.