Donald Trump ran on putting America first and not getting into foreign conflicts during his 2024 election campaign. Since his inauguration though, his foreign policy has actually included increased conflict with NATO, conflict with Venezuela and now the war with Iran.
To begin, Trump has increased conflict with NATO. Trump has said many times that he thinks the US is paying too much for NATO. Trump has made multiple comments threatening to take over Greenland, a territory of Denmark, which is in NATO. Trump’s comments about Greenland have been condemned by many countries, most of whom are in NATO.
Trump has also been in conflict with NATO regarding the war in Iran. Trump asked NATO to join the US war in Iran, but they refused. Trump then accused NATO of doing nothing for the US, and claimed the alliance was a one way street.
Aside from NATO, Trump has also engaged in a serious conflict with former Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro. Conflict increased because Trump accused Maduro of “emptying Venezuelan prisons into the US.” Trump also accused Maduro of being a leader of a criminal organization.
This led to the US military going into Venezuela and capturing Maduro in early January. Maduro was brought back to the US, and he faces criminal charges.
Lastly, Trump and the US are currently at war with Iran. Trump and Israeli forces killed Iran’s supreme leader at the time, Ali Khamenei, in a bomb strike in the early days of the war.
Trump claims that he attacked Iran because it posed a threat to the US through terroism and its capability to build a nuclear weapon. His goals in the war have ranged from the complete toppling of the Iranian government to weakening its strength and influence. This has caused a crisis in the Middle East as a whole because Iran has launched missiles at its neighbors in response and shut down the Strait of Hormuz.
The war has also caused a strain in diplomatic relations with the US and other countries. For example, Spain refused to allow the US to use its bases for the war, which led to Trump threatening to cut off trade with Spain.
Significant events in Trump’s foreign policy since the start of his second term have been increased distance from NATO, conflict with Venezuela, and a war with Iran.
Image courtesy of ChatGPT.
