As the Donald Trump administration completes its first 50 days in office, the broad contours of a Trump doctrine have begun to take shape. Trump’s speech addressing a joint session of the US Congress on March 4 was intended to give a sneak peek into the new order that is coming.
Although, Trump’s imposition of the new order has an inherently domestic orientation, the asymmetry of America’s size – economically, politically and militarily – compels an equally impactful outward landfall. One of the ways in which the Trump administration is shaping his policy arc is through signing Executive Orders- which are presidential decrees to enforce direction and steps although they are not an alternative to the US Congress led legislative processes.
The second Trump administration has signed more executive orders in the first hundred days than any other president, re-coursing America on a path in stark contrast to the policies by the preceding presidencies but mostly against that of Joe Biden.
In one of the longest speeches by any US president in modern history, Trump doubled down on his campaign promises with steps in policy, trampling upon the paths laid by successive Democratic presidencies, especially since the Obama administration. The speech laid a clear vision of policy reversals to change the bureaucracy that has characterised the American government.
Trump has imposed a freeze in any federal hiring as well as a freeze in foreign aid, impacting not just critical and timely aid but also chipping away at America’s power and influence abroad. However, a complete change in policy and approach in Washington is increasingly spotlighting the larger point that the Trump administration is trying to make:
Does the US need to be the world’s doctor, policeman and most of all its Uncle Sam?
Amidst the backdrop of a possible simmering divide within the Trump team, particularly between the Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Elon Musk who is heading the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an escalating trade war with neighbours Canada and Mexico, the threat of rising inflation at home and a surging war between Russia and Ukraine could hit at the rapid momentum of changes that Trump’s policy barrage seeks.
Trump’s decision to fire a record number of Federal employees and rejig the Beltway’s traditional bureaucracy is at the heart of the efficiency that his administration seeks drive by ‘draining the swamp’. The decision to create the DOGE is to root out corruption and save money, in the absence of which there were estimations, the government would either run into deeper debt or even run bankrupt given the huge sovereign debt and borrowings.
Some of these changes were anticipated to be very drastic, as it is indeed the case. The fact that for the next four years, America is going to be inwardly oriented is now clear. Friends, Partners are going to be treated in the most mercantile way in which only two questions are going to be decided. Important is what the other party brings to the table and how does it benefit the United States?
Internally, the United States is headed for a deeply divisive political future with the Republican and the Democratic parties narrowly divided along very thin margins. Even though the Republicans control both the Senate and the house of Republicans, it is only by thin margin which may swing one way or the other in the midterm elections next year in the United States. Until then, the Trump administration may be eying a window to usher swift changes.
Externally, the role of the US is up for a huge shift, even as it repositions itself on bilateral, multilateral, economic and military issues. One of the key shifts in US foreign policy, as evident from its twists and turns in the past few weeks.
One of the key shifts is the changing US position on trans-Atlantic security and by extension, on its support for Ukraine. The dramatic diplomatic showdown between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the US leaders Donald Trump and J.D. Vance in the Oval Office when the former was visiting Washington, depicted a firm Washington which is now resolutely on the path to reverse its course on a guaranteed security umbrella for Europe – its closest ally.
In the immediate term, Washington’s approach may directly impact how the ongoing war in Europe unfolds. Trump’s insistence that the US wants the war to stop at all cost and achieving a ceasefire remains a primary first goal may be a pragmatic step on the part of the US, but it imposes different costs on Ukraine. Besides, Moscow hasn’t hinted that it is ready for talks on a ceasefire.
While these complications unfold, the US’ other allies and partners around the world watch with bated breath. It may have been a diplomatically wise step on the part of India to seek an early meeting with Trump, when Prime Minister Modi met the US leader in February. As the Trump administration increasingly hardens its position on the issues of trade and tariff with all countries alike, it will be interesting to see how the trade negotiations between India and the US unfold, especially as India’s over $40 billion trade surplus with the US looms large in Trump’s mind.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of ETV Bharat)
