Some people are motivated by money. Others are driven by fame, a need to be liked or an urge to be remembered as a great individual in the annals of history. Donald Trump seems to want all of the above, plus the self-assurance that he can, in fact, solve those unending, sticky international problems no man or woman before him could adequately tackle.
Trump is also obsessed with making deals—or at least being perceived as someone who can. “Deals are my art form,” he tweeted on 29 December 2014, long before he was considered a serious political force in America. “Other people paint beautifully or write poetry. I like making deals, preferably big deals. That’s how I get my kicks.” Fast-forward to this February, and he was pretty much singing the same tune: “That’s what I do, I do deals, my whole life is deals, that’s all I know is deals.”
Trump’s second term is not even four months old yet, but the president has dived head-first into the choppy waters of international diplomacy, where failure is frequently the rule rather than the exception. Whether it’s the war in Gaza, the war in Ukraine, tariffs or immigration enforcement, Trump doesn’t like to waste time. He’s notoriously impatient and wants things to happen almost instantaneously—and it shows.
It’s part Madman Theory—do what I want immediately or you will suffer the kinds of consequences that no rational person would dare contemplate—and part laissez-faire. Nothing is off limits.
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