During his inauguration speech to kick off his unprecedented second term, President Donald Trump (R-FL) declared a new “golden age” for the country.
While the “golden age” promises will take time to materialize, what is certain as of now that the political/campaign playbook has been rewritten and the U.S. is certainly heading into unprecedented territory, namely by virtue of Trump’s Herculean task of slashing federal waste, fraud, and abuse and appointing perhaps the most fascinating Cabinet in modern history.
But the U.S. and the rest of the world are grappling, and will essentially be forced to grapple, with a new mantra that will likely transcend domestic politics and international relations themselves:
The U.S. is not an ATM.
Trump received scrutiny on the campaign trail for his threats of tariffs, not only against adversarial entities, but even some of our strongest allies. Such scrutiny intensified almost immediately after Trump was sworn in and carried out his campaign pledges exactly as he had been posting all election season.
No other country is quite like the U.S., not only in terms of what we provide the world – for better or for worse – but also in terms of who we are as a people, historically and present-day. The American people are resilient, tenacious, and intrinsically libertarian, which is why the modern populist movement has been so successful, owing not only to Trump, but others like Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Those diametrically opposed in almost every ideology, they both understand a truth that is seemingly more universal now than it ever has been: Washington is broken.
But such a statement cannot be taken seriously if actions thereafter are not taken.
“How could Trump do this to our allies?” claim many in mainstream media.
A better question would be, “how can our allies do this to us?”
While the U.S. has a host of venerable allies across the globe, it’s becoming more and more clear – especially in the wake of the exposure of disgusting abuse of taxpayer funds at the hands of USAID – that the U.S. has been the “nice guy” for too long.
There’s nothing wrong with being the “nice guy,” but it certainly doesn’t pay. The bottom line shouldn’t always be the driving force behind projects and politics, but when it comes to running a government as gargantuan as ours, both domestically and abroad, it’s not a bad concept to keep in mind.
Trump has made a very simple ultimatum to our allies: pony up the money you owe us, or compensate us otherwise.
Many slam Trump’s “transactional” nature, but it’s only new to the federal government in recent years. The “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” model isn’t necessarily flawed in and of itself. If it’s fine on a local bartering level, why can’t it be applied on a much larger scale?
The reality is, many countries, even our allies, had a “friend” instead of a “parent” in the U.S. government. This isn’t to say the U.S. should be the “world’s policeman,” but in some respects, we have to be, primarily through leading by example.
We all had that one friend growing up whose parents treated them like a friend instead of a child. At first glance, it seemed liberating or even “cool” to have such lax parents, only for us to realize as we age that a true parent is far more invaluable than one who simply wants to be a friend.
And when Trump got re-elected, many countries, especially American adversaries, quickly lined up. This is typical of an administration turnover, but we find that the response to Trump’s win clearly surmounts that of conventional political wisdom.
Immediately after Trump’s historic comeback, it seemed as if mom couldn’t keep the kids in order, but dad’s car had just pulled in the driveway. Suddenly, everyone wanted to behave.
At the same time, we uphold the principle that “to whom much is given, much is required.” We’re not above rendering aid to the world, especially to our allies who don’t have the sphere of affluence we have, but symbiotic relationships aren’t above anyone, we find.
That said, the world needs to look at the U.S., not as an ATM – substantiated by the bottomless pit that is the taxpayers’ checkbook – but as a nation of values, steadfastness, and deliberation. Teddy Roosevelt’s “walk softly and carry a big stick” dogma applies here. Allowing the entity at the other side of the negotiating table to “save face” is a tenet of the Roosevelt doctrine, a value we’ve already seen Trump uphold regarding trade relationships with North American neighbors.
Moreover, the “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine couldn’t have come at a better time. Letting the East play in the East and the West play in the West, in terms of values and economics, is a way to restore some forms of global economic balance. As an isolationist at his core, Trump isn’t beyond force when necessary, another virtue emblematic of the Roosevelt aphorism.
At the same time, the U.S. being viewed as an ATM applies to immigration and, more importantly, how the rest of the world views the U.S. in that regard.
Firstly, no one has any “right” to enter any country, regardless of origin or destination. No other country tolerates the lax and loophole-prone immigration laws that were instituted by Congress in the 1980s. The buck has been passed endlessly since then. The left romanticizes Scandinavia for many values, which isn’t all incorrect, but those nations’ immigration laws couldn’t be more apples-to-oranges compared to the U.S. Such countries, like Denmark, require language proficiency tests, a work history, no criminal record, no indebtedness to the state, and no certain forms of social assistance reception for at least two years.
Sweden, while it maintains birthright citizenship, stipulates that at least one parent must be a Swedish citizen.
That said, no other country will take immigrants with no work history or skillsets. This is a facet of our system that should not be relinquished, as the U.S. should remain a prime beacon of opportunity.
But generosity should not be limitless, nor should such generosity be levied in the face of such blatant abuse, either at the hands of the system, or individual bad actors. For years, the values, culture, and citizenry of the U.S. have played second fiddle to economic opportunity. It’s understandable why economics is such a compelling facet of our nation, but there’s so much more to any country than just making money. That concept has been lost on the world who view the U.S. as a means to an end and who demand American citizenship as a “right.”
In light of foreign assistance, relationships with allies and adversaries alike, and the image of the U.S. as a site of opportunity, the world should be prepared for a consciously generous United States, one that will not be treated like an ATM, and one that does walk softly and carry a big stick.
