As Trump’s time runs out, this could be his most dangerous legacy: a world divided into three | Steve Bloomfield
We’ve heard much about the end of the west. At the proposed summit between Trump, Putin and Xi, those fears could crystallise In the final two years of a US presidency, when Congress has been lost, approval ratings have sunk like a stone and their party has started to think about who’s coming next, the person occupying the Oval Office can feel their power draining away. Domestic legislation, particularly in an era…
Key points
- Putin has proposed a summit with Trump and Xi Jinping in China next month.
- The article says Trump's final two years could bring war with Iran and a Ukraine sellout.
- Critics warn the meeting could divide the world into three spheres of influence.
A Guardian opinion piece by Steve Bloomfield argues that Donald Trump's final two years in office could be his most dangerous, as he turns to foreign policy once domestic power fades. Bloomfield writes that Trump will soon lose control of the House and face investigations, leaving the world stage as the area where he still holds power.
The article points to a proposed summit between Trump, Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping, to be held in China next month, as a moment when fears about the end of the west could crystallise.
Plans on the world stage
Bloomfield writes that the US is understood to be planning to restart its war with Iran after the midterms, and that Trump's "sellout of Ukraine is well under way". He cites Trump saying Russia "has been fine on Ukraine" and envoy Steve Witkoff meeting Putin in Moscow.
The article says the three leaders want to divide the world into spheres of influence, which would affect Europe beyond Ukraine and cause problems for Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Australia.
there has not been a president who has been more beneficial for China than Donald Trump
— Chrystia Freeland
A shift in alliances
Bloomfield says last year's National Security Strategy avoided direct criticism of Russia and China and praised China as "rich and powerful". He quotes former Canadian foreign minister Chrystia Freeland saying "there has not been a president who has been more beneficial for China than Donald Trump".
The piece notes that the Wall Street Journal editorial board called the proposed summit "arguably the worst idea of the second Trump term", and says a future president might not follow the same path.
