Since 2017, nearly every assessment of Donald Trump’s foreign policy has reached for the same word: transactional. The label suggests a president focused on short-term economic deals, indifferent to ideology, uninterested in the political character of the states he deals with. It became the consensus view among scholars and journalists alike.

That consensus is wrong, or at least it is now outdated. Since returning to power in 2025, Trump’s approach to international relations has shifted from transactional to something better described as tributary: other states are expected not to negotiate with him but to submit to him. Canada, as a traditional ally built into the liberal order Trump wants to dismantle, faces this pressure acutely.

What “transactional” actually means

Scholars who have studied transactional foreign policy identify five defining characteristics: preference for bilateral over multilateral arrangements; pursuit of near-term economic gains rather than durable commitments; a zero-sum view of international relations; indifference to the political systems of partner states; and no overarching strategic vision. On this reading, Trump wanted better terms for America and was unconcerned with whom he dealt with or how their governments were run.

Some of this applied during Trump’s first term, when Republican senators, mainstream cabinet members, and the bureaucracy constrained his instincts. But in his second term, those constraints have largely vanished. With Congress and cabinet now aligned to his worldview rather than conventional Republican doctrine, he has moved to implement what look like his genuine instincts.

Tariffs without economic........

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