As President Donald Trump escalated his trade war with Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney responded with a direct and damning comment: “We’ve recognized from the start that America has changed,” he said. “We recognize that sometimes, its signature is written in pencil.”

One of the most valuable assets in politics is trust. Leaders can only be effective, in the long run, if other stakeholders — voters, allies, rivals — respect, believe and trust you. To keep your word. To play straight.

Trump, as Carney makes clear, is now squandering that trust, both at home and abroad. Increasingly, his word is no longer good. His promises — and threats — are no longer taken seriously.

A Pew Research Center poll of 36 countries reports that “76% of respondents had ‘no confidence’ in Trump and 57% had an unfavorable opinion of the United States.” In most of the countries, Pew adds, “people had a more positive impression of China than of the U.S.”

Some of that dwindling confidence is summed up in the popular meme TACO, or Trump Always Chickens Out. But the damage goes deeper than that. It’s not just that he’s trusted less. He’s also feared less.

Trump has........

© The Saratogian