Donald Trump stormed back into the White House with the promise of restoring America’s pride and power. His second innings was expected to be more seasoned, less erratic, and better grounded in the realities of global geopolitics. Instead, what we are witnessing is the opposite—an American President who seems intent on undoing his own credibility, squandering alliances, and dragging the United States toward international isolation. The most glaring example of this is his reckless trade wars. Trump’s unilateral tariffs and arbitrary economic sanctions have been called out not only by political opponents but even by America’s own Supreme Court, which recently raised questions about the legality of such executive overreach. What was meant to be a strategy to “Make America Great Again” has only battered global markets, hurt American consumers, and given rivals like China and Russia greater room to maneuver. A superpower is supposed to inspire confidence, not uncertainty. But Trump’s foreign policy missteps do not stop there. His bizarre outburst after Pakistan’s humiliating defeat at the hands of India was a case in point. Once boasting of his “best friend” Narendra Modi, Trump went on a tirade, calling India a “dead economy” and threatening to “punish” a nation that had been a reliable partner in Washington’s strategic calculus. To make matters worse, he claimed credit for “stopping an India-Pakistan war,” a claim so far-fetched that it betrayed both ignorance and arrogance. India has never allowed third-party intervention in its disputes with Pakistan or China—certainly not from the United States, and certainly not under conditions dictated from afar. In the process, Trump has undone much of his earlier good work in conflict management. His behind-the-scenes efforts may have prevented the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza wars from escalating into wider conflagrations. Yet his heavy-handed rhetoric and self-congratulatory claims have nullified the goodwill these efforts might have generated.
Moscow has openly warned that Western troops in Ukraine remain legitimate targets, regardless of Trump’s so-called peace initiatives. In Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Netanyahu continues to chart his own course with little regard for Washington’s pronouncements. Even President Zelensky of Ukraine has now turned to Modi, not Trump, for a credible mediation effort. That itself speaks volumes about where America stands today. Domestically, the picture is no better. Trump’s relentless attacks on Silicon Valley and the tech sector—the very heart of American innovation—have not only rattled investors but also threatened America’s long-term competitiveness. His indiscriminate tirades alienate the same diaspora communities, particularly Indian Americans, whose swing votes contributed to his return to power. Turning his ire against them is not just politically shortsighted; it is unpardonable. The gravest strategic mistake, however, has been his alienation of India. At a time when Beijing and Moscow are drawing closer, Washington cannot afford to drive New Delhi away. Yet Trump’s erratic behaviour has made precisely that happen. Today, India, China, and Russia—despite their own differences—have found reason to coordinate in what is increasingly described as a “Troika” against unilateral American diktats. By sidelining Modi and India, Trump has undermined America’s best hope for a stable, multipolar balance in Asia. The tragedy of Trump’s presidency is that he began with the right instinct: to end America’s endless wars, to pull back from costly foreign adventures, and to refocus on domestic renewal. Those instincts still matter. But his ego-driven need to dominate every narrative, to claim credit where none is due, and to lash out at friends as though they were foes, has pushed America closer to the brink. The United States remains the world’s most powerful nation—but power without credibility is hollow. If Trump continues down this path, America risks not just policy setbacks but the erosion of its very image as a global leader. The time has come for Trump to pull back—not out of weakness, but out of wisdom. Only then can America hope to reclaim the respect it is rapidly losing on the world stage.
