Stories

From nuclear diplomacy to full-scale war: Trump opened with back-channel letters to Ayatollah Khamenei and indirect talks in Oman, before Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025. Trump joined the campaign with US strikes on Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — bypassing Congress and triggering a constitutional confrontation over war powers. The conflict peaked when US and Israeli forces killed Supreme Leader Khamenei on Day 405, prompting Iranian retaliation across the Middle East, oil above $100 per barrel, and $11.3 billion in US military costs in the first six days alone. Key NATO allies refused use of their bases; Spain defied Trump's threats of trade retaliation; the UK was repeatedly criticized for insufficient support. A fragile ceasefire eventually held, followed by Pakistan-brokered nuclear talks and an indefinite ceasefire extension. As of September 2026, Trump and Iranian officials remain in active negotiations at the UN General Assembly, with no final deal reached.

Trump pursued bilateral talks with Putin to end the Ukraine war, initially excluding Ukraine and Europe. The process involved contentious meetings with Zelenskyy (including an Oval Office shouting match), suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing, demands for Ukrainian mineral rights, a Trump-Putin Alaska summit, and ongoing negotiations through envoys Witkoff and Kushner with no final deal reached.

The administration escalated from Caribbean drug boat strikes to seizing oil tankers, imposing a naval blockade, and ultimately capturing President Maduro in a military raid on Caracas. Trump claimed US control over Venezuelan oil, while international condemnation grew and Congress sought to restrain presidential war powers.

Trump initially proposed US takeover of Gaza, then pivoted to brokering a ceasefire deal culminating in hostage releases and a 20-point peace plan. He created a 'Board of Peace' to oversee reconstruction, appointed international members, and pushed for Palestinian displacement before backing down under pressure.

Trump repeatedly demanded US acquisition of Greenland, sent JD Vance and envoys to visit, threatened Denmark with tariffs, refused to rule out military force, and appointed a special envoy. Denmark and Greenland consistently rejected the proposals while NATO allies deployed troops to the territory.

Trump's systematic dismantling of the post-WWII international order — through NATO funding pressure, public humiliation of allied leaders, and withdrawal threats — extended to every major multilateral institution the US helped build. On Day 1 he signalled sanctions against the International Criminal Court; on Day 2 he withdrew from the World Health Organization. He subsequently sanctioned ICC judges and prosecutors in an escalating campaign to 'dismantle the court brick by brick,' pulled the US out of UNESCO, cut funding that forced the UN to eliminate a fifth of its workforce, and called the organization 'feckless and pernicious' at the General Assembly. Relationships with traditional allies deteriorated in parallel: leaked messages showed officials dismissing European partners as 'pathetic,' Trump publicly insulted allied leaders from Macron to Starmer, and the Pentagon sent NATO members a questionnaire asking about their 'political loyalty' to the United States.

Throughout Trump's second term, a consistent pattern emerged in US-Russia policy: Ukraine's military and intelligence support was cut, peace terms systematically favored Russian territorial gains, and Trump actively pursued Russia's diplomatic rehabilitation — pushing its readmission to the G7 and voting alongside Russia at the UN against resolutions condemning the invasion. Domestically, Trump appointed a Director of National Intelligence with a documented pro-Russia stance, and his envoy Steve Witkoff was caught on tape advising Kremlin officials on negotiating strategy. The Kremlin itself praised Trump's national security strategy as 'aligned with Russia's vision.'

While imposing tariffs and reducing security commitments to longstanding allies in Europe, Japan, and South Korea, Trump has simultaneously warmed to America's principal adversaries. The US voted alongside Russia, Belarus, and North Korea at the UN; Trump's envoys coached the Kremlin on negotiating tactics; Russian oil sanctions were lifted; and Trump cut joint military exercises with South Korea while citing his positive relationship with Kim Jong Un as justification. The pattern suggests a deliberate reorientation of US alliances away from democratic partners and toward authoritarian rivals.

Trump cut aid to South Africa, expelled its ambassador, falsely claimed 'white genocide,' offered asylum to Afrikaners, granted refugee status to white South Africans while suspending refugee admissions for others, and excluded South Africa from the G20. South African leaders called the policies racist.

Trump designated Mexican cartels and Colombian drug groups as foreign terrorist organizations, requested permission to deploy US troops into Mexico (repeatedly rebuffed), launched a boat strike campaign in Caribbean, Colombian, and Ecuadorian waters that killed over 200 people, and assembled a Latin American coalition to militarily eradicate drug trafficking networks.