Trump Pulls the US Back
One of Trump's deeply felt beliefs is that international agreements are for suckers.
Bubba
13 Feb
Trump Pulls the US Back From International Agreements
Under President Trump, the U.S. has once again begun to distance itself from international partnerships, driven by his conviction that global agreements—on trade, climate and beyond—tend to benefit other nations at the expense of American interests. (NYT)
The latest: While 60 countries—including China, India, Japan and Canada—signed onto a declaration on “inclusive and sustainable” AI governance this week at the Paris AI Action Summit, the United States was not one of them.
Addressing world leaders at the summit, Vice President J.D. Vance criticized existing international tech policies, arguing laws like the EU’s Digital Services Act burden U.S. companies with “massive regulations.”
He also urged Europe to look upon the coming AI revolution “with optimism rather than trepidation.”
Vance:
The United States of America is the leader in AI, and our administration plans to keep it that way. … Now, we invite your countries to work with us and to follow that model if it makes sense for your nations. However, the Trump administration is troubled by reports that some foreign governments are considering tightening the screws on U.S. tech companies with international footprints.
Big picture: Since resuming office in January, Trump has initiated several actions indicating a U.S. retreat from international institutions and agreements.
The president issued an executive order last month withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization, citing the WHO’s “mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic,” its “failure to adopt urgently needed reforms” and its practice of placing “unfairly onerous payments from the United States, far out of proportion with other countries’ assessed payments.”
Last week, Trump issued another order pulling America out of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The U.S. exited the OECD's global corporate tax deal in January, with the president expressing concern that the agreement disproportionately favored other nations and constrained American fiscal autonomy.
As he did during his first term, Trump pulled America out of the Paris Agreement, which consisted of nearly 200 countries committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming and mitigate climate change.
Zoom in: Some studies have suggested complying with the Paris Agreement placed a heavy burden on the U.S. and its citizens.
A National Economic Research Associates study from 2017 projected that adhering to the Paris Agreement could result in the loss of approximately 2.7 million jobs by 2025, including 440,000 fewer manufacturing jobs.
By 2040, the study projected steep declines in industrial output, with paper down 12%, cement dropping 23%, iron and steel shrinking 38%, coal plummeting 86%, and natural gas falling 31%.These projections were cited by the Trump administration during the 2017 withdrawal announcement.
According to a 2016 Heritage Foundation analysis, remaining in the Paris Agreement could have cost American families an average of $20,000 in lost income by 2035.
The analysis also projected a cumulative GDP loss of over $2.5 trillion and a total employment shortfall of nearly 400,000 jobs by 2035.
More: Trump frequently points to the U.S. footing a hefty portion of the UN’s budget as further proof that America is being taken advantage of on the global stage.
OK, but: On the flip side, there are Democrats and Republicans that think Trump is underselling just how much international institutions and agreements benefit America.
Republican Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas has previously praised USAID programs for creating valuable markets for American farmers.
Last year, USAID purchased $2 billion in U.S. crops from farmers in places like Minnesota and Iowa.
Former New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has credited the U.S.-led global alliance with helping to end communism and cited European aid to Ukraine as an example of how our allies pull their weight.
Bubba’s Two Cents
Unlike recent presidents who leaned into global cooperation, Trump sees it as a raw deal. He views trade deficits as evidence of America getting played and foreign aid as money thrown away. His approach boils down to one question: “What’s in it for us?”
That attitude resonates with the growing share of Americans who think the U.S. should take a step back from solving international problems—but critics argue it’s a short-sighted strategy that could weaken America’s dominance.
As Martin Wolf of the Financial Times put it, post-WWII U.S. policy was built on alliances, economic growth, and global stability, not brute leverage—and that strategy has delivered historic gains, from slashing extreme poverty to preventing global conflict.
Chart: Financial Times
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