Since returning to the US presidency, Donald Trump has outdone himself, gaining global media headlines and attention with outrageous statements and dramatic decisions.

Login or signup to continue reading

The most consequential decision so far has been the freezing of many US aid and development programs. The freeze had an immediate impact. Even with some waivers now in place, it is likely that starving people in Ethiopia will not get the famine relief desperately needed; food is rotting in African harbours as constitutional battles over executive power are waged in Washington.

In Africa alone, the US has also been funding lifesaving malaria prevention efforts and HIV/AIDS drug programs. Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency has cruelly disrupted those.

There are numerous examples of other reckless policy decisions. In terms of long-term consequences, arguably the worst decision Trump has made is pulling the United States out of the Paris Agreement on climate change. He also wound back a slew of Biden administration policies while erasing the term "climate change" from various government websites.

Trump has attempted to bully Mexico and Canada with threats of a 25 per cent tax on all imports from those two trading partners. He has also imposed a 10 per cent tariff on all Chinese imports coming into the US.

Then there are Trump's statements on Ukraine, Gaza and Panama. Last weekend, his treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House meeting caused widespread dismay around the world, as Trump doubled down on his promotion of Putin's talking points and Russian government interests.

With Trump, it is tempting to claim he is........

© Canberra Times