‘America First’ Trump loved hanging out with the global elite during his Asia trip

TOKYO (AP) — As an “America first” president, Donald Trump appeared to love the hurricane traveling around Asia for five days — a reflection of the White House increasingly focused on the rest of the world.

When Trump stepped off Air Force One on Sunday for his first stop in Malaysia, danced with local artists the one who greeted him on the red carpet. In Japan, he helicoptered to a massive aircraft carrier to give a speech to the country’s prime minister. And South Korea made him an offer gold medal and crown as a gift.

When we returned home to Washington, federal government shut down like Trump’s Poll numbers remain lowand it’s unclear how much Trump’s trip will resonate with voters caught up in other concerns at home.

But on the last night of his trip, Trump was overheard talking about how much he enjoyed meeting his foreign counterparts at a state dinner.

“It was a great meeting,” Trump said. “They’re all great meetings. It was a great meeting. We had a great meeting.”

There once was a president who used that term “globalist” as an insult Suddenly finding some fun in being a globalist? He definitely likes to make international agreementsparties in his honor, praise from other leaders and the possibility of making his mark on the wider world.

But this enthusiasm abroad also reflects the mood of a president who has brokered economic deals and helped ease relations between warring countries.

He helped approve the ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand. There is a detailed list of approximately $500 billion Investment commitments from Japan. And South Korea has pledged $150 billion to help revive American shipbuilding. nuclear powered submarine acquisition project — on 200 billion dollar investment to the USA for over ten years.

“Going to other countries and defending America is not globalism,” said Hogan Gidley, a former White House aide who traveled to Asia and other foreign destinations during his first term with Trump. Gidley said that while Trump was traveling, he made sure “the world was fully aware that this president would defend the American people first,” making it “the exact opposite of globalism.”

As for dancing?

“Look, it’s okay to dance in the end zone when you’re scoring a touchdown,” Gidley said. “And this president scores goals and scores.”

Foreign leaders are learning what makes Trump happy

Many Trump voters believed they were electing a president who would focus on them rather than distant countries. But Trump finds it increasingly easy to sell the idea of ​​America with trips to Asia in his second term. Middle East.

The shift in tone reflects intense efforts by foreign governments to keep Trump happy. Placement of American-made vehicles It’s nearby in Tokyo and its menu features US-raised beef.

Trump is increasingly showing confidence that he can play on the global stage, rather than grinding metaphorical axes by attacking NATO and looking for ways to intimidate and disappoint, as he did in his first term Allies like Angela Merkelthen Chancellor of Germany.

“He seems to believe in his skills as a one-on-one negotiator with world leaders,” said Jasen Castillo, a professor at Texas A&M University who studies national security. “All this shows that his foreign policy initiatives are real.”

Still, it’s not always clear what Trump is trying to accomplish, other than the chance to declare victory. Some of his trade talks have led to promises of investment from foreign countries, but this does not amount to careful negotiations that will lead to the formation of lasting coalitions.

“What may confuse observers is that he lacks a coherent, coherent worldview,” Castillo added.

‘The best deals are the ones that work for everyone’

The US president in Asia was not the grimacing presence he occasionally was in the Oval Office, where he contested support. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought in the war against Russia and He scolded post-apartheid South Africans about their treatment of white Afrikaners.

There was a love fest in Asia. Trump said Southeast Asian countries “have amazing leaders,” the new Japanese prime minister is a “winner” and the South Korean president “might go down as the greatest of them all.”

Instead of complaining about foreign countries ripping off America, he told business leaders that “the best deals are the ones that work for everyone.”

Trump was similarly enthusiastic after meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping shortly before returning to Washington on Thursday.

“I think on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the best, I would say the meeting is a 12,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Diplomacy on its own terms

Trump seems to like to make foreign policy on his own terms. those awards brave displays of strengthlike attacking Nuclear facilities in Iran And Boats allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean. It minimizes participation in long, multi-party meetings that may require more listening than talking.

Arriving at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, Trump offered a seat in the armored presidential limousine to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who was excited to join him in the vehicle nicknamed “The Beast.”

“When the president arrived, he asked me to join him in the car,” Anwar later recalled in a speech. “I said, ‘This is against the rules of safety and protocol,’ and he was more than happy to break the rules.”

The White House stated that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize, with Takaichi telling her that he was “very impressed and inspired” by Trump’s commitment to world peace and stability.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Trump would be “forever known in human history” if he could use his peacemaking skills to end the military standoff with North Korea, before praising him for US stock indexes hitting a record high.

Even those far away more shy Xi He seemed to suggest that Trump’s policies behind elevating America were also good for China.

“I always believe that China’s development goes hand in hand with your vision of ‘Making America Great Again,'” Xi said through a translator.

As the White House announces the results of Trump’s trip home, it is unclear how significant Trump’s foreign policy actions are for a country worried about inflation remaining high.

As we head into the 2025 elections on Tuesday with a mayoral race in New York City and gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, many Americans have deep concerns about Trump’s leadership. The month-long government shutdown is starting to create pain as paychecks are missed and government food aid is no longer reaching millions of families.

6 in 10 adults in the US disapprove of Trump’s presidential performance Associated Press-NORC October poll Public Relations Research Center.

America has never been better, Trump told audiences in Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo and South Korea.

“We truly are an inspiration to many countries,” Trump said.

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Megerian reported from Busan, South Korea, and Kim from Washington.