Donald Trump’s second inaugural address was bizarre for a great many reasons. The Republican president, newly returned to power, delivered remarks that were dishonest, small, petty and conspiratorial in equal measure.
But when the speech turned to international affairs, Trump was also oddly ambitious. “My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That’s what I want to be: a peacemaker and a unifier,” he declared, adding soon after, “We will be a nation like no other, full of compassion, courage and exceptionalism. Our power will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent and totally unpredictable. America will be respected again and admired again.”
When it comes to improving international respect and admiration for the United States, Trump is already failing spectacularly. As for the president’s prediction that he’d strengthen the country to such a point that we’d “stop all wars” and “bring a new spirit of unity” to the world, it appears international conditions are proving to be more “angry, violent and totally unpredictable” than he expected. The New York Times reported:
The war in Ukraine could be ended in as little as 24 hours, he said. He would knock heads to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to stop the fighting in Gaza. And he said he would strike a nuclear deal with Iran, ‘because the consequences are impossible. We have to make a deal.’
Trump’s failed promises on resolving Russia’s war in Ukraine are an ongoing embarrassment, and the Republican’s latest position is, effectively, to stop trying. “Sometimes you’re better off letting them fight for a while,” he said a couple of weeks ago, referring to a conflict he repeatedly told Americans he’d end on his first day.
Trump’s failed promises on resolving the crisis in Gaza follow his boasts in December about how much “easier” he saw the conflict, as compared to the war in Ukraine — the combat he said he’d end in one day.
And Trump’s failed promises on reaching a new nuclear agreement with Iran now appear increasingly out of reach, in part because he directed Israel not to attack Iran ahead of the next round of diplomatic talks, and Israel ignored him. His new position related to Israel and Iran is, “Sometimes they have to fight it out,” which is nearly identical to the phrasing he used earlier this month about Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Or put another way, five months into his term, Trump’s predictions about his administration’s ability to “stop all wars” and “bring a new spirit of unity” to the world lie in tatters. Indeed, conditions in Ukraine, Gaza and Iran are worse now than when he first made the comments. During Trump’s recent trip to the Middle East, he boasted about how close he was to diplomatic breakthroughs. “I will tell you that the world is a much safer place right now,” he said at the time. “And I think it will be even safer in two or three weeks.” As The Washington Post reported on Friday, “That was four weeks ago.”
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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