Trump rebrands diplomatic norms as global events spin on his axis

From The Washington Post:

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Friday placed himself at the center of the remarkable summit between the leaders of North and South Korea, taking credit for bold and innovative diplomacy that may open a path to peace where other leaders failed. 

"It's certainly something that I hope I can do for the world," Trump said. "This is beyond the United States. This is a world problem, and it's something that I hope I'm able to do for the world." 

The dramatic turn of events on the Korean Peninsula was the capstone to a week that crystallized the ways Trump has established his foreign policy approach as one that rests largely on the pride he takes in busting the old conventions of diplomatic negotiations and remaking them in his image. The world is adjusting. 

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the White House this week hoping to convince Trump not to abandon the Iran nuclear deal and to back off his protectionist trade policies. But by the time they left, both leaders had largely given up trying to convince Trump he was wrong and instead focused on how to work around their differences. 

British Prime Minister Theresa May, who had been keeping Trump at arm's length in recent months, defied the threat of mass protests this week to finally invite him to visit what is often called America's closest ally. 

And the Senate confirmed Mike Pompeo, a Trump political ally and former tea party congressman, to be secretary of state, giving the president a foreign policy team more in line with the international policies he promoted during the campaign. 

Trump's foreign policy maneuvers, particularly on North Korea, carry great risks. Pyongyang has proven an unreliable negotiator in the past; a failure of talks now could inflame tensions back to where they were only months ago, when there were concerns that a military confrontation was becoming more likely. If he abandons the Iran deal, Trump will be under pressure to come up with a new approach to keeping Tehran's nuclear ambitions in check. 

And while Trump boasts that his tough trade talk is bringing countries to the negotiating table, congressional Republicans are openly fretting that potential trade wars will be disastrous for the economy and their party's prospects in the midterm elections. 

But for now, the president is dismissing his critics as naysayers who have failed where he plans to succeed.

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I’m sensing some changes#QAnon pic.twitter.com/liiFzN2fXv

— Ashley (@MrsPatriot3) April 27, 2018