In the primaries, we listened to Donald Trump constantly bully his fellow Republican candidates. During the election, we were inundated with sexual abuse allegations and verbal assaults hurled from his Twitter account. Now, a week into the Trump Presidency, there has been a flurry of egregious executive orders and constant chaos at The White House.
Our foreign relations lie in the hands of Donald Trump, a man who displays many narcissistic traits and a severe lack of understanding when asked about foreign policy. The past 2 days of news cycles have been dominated by growing conflict with countries Trump insulted throughout his campaign, especially Mexico.
Unsurprisingly to most, Trump’s blunders with international diplomacy and foreign relations thus far mirror his inappropriate actions and statements from even before the Presidential election. Trump’s “fight fire with fire” rhetoric, impulsive reactions, and unwillingness to compromise with foreign powers are eerily similar patterns displayed in abusive relationships.
Here are five abuse tactics Trump uses to manage foreign policy:
1. Punishment: Trump punishes foreign leaders who do not comply with his wants or demands.
Punishment is a staple trait of both physically and emotionally abusive relationships. All too often, abusers resort to punishment as a form of control, whether through withholding, physical violence, or berating. Trump’s newly proposed (and retracted and proposed again) 20 percent import tax on Mexican goods is a prime example of this tactic; it is a coercive measure that is nothing more than a symbolic chokehold, punishing Mexico’s Government for noncompliance. Possible policies such as the implied tax increase are anything but presidential, considering only Trump’s demands instead of The United States’ overall global relationships.
2. Shaming: Trump publicly shames foreign leaders who disagree with him.
Similarly to abusive partners and parents, Trump is hypersensitive to criticism of any kind and responds with humiliation. Shaming, personally or publically, is proven to be psychologically damaging but becomes downright dangerous in terms of international relations. Justin Trudeau, China, and “European leaders” are just a few targets in Trump’s laundry list of derogatory tweets and statements. Trump’s use of denigration in lieu of diplomacy is inadmissible.
3. Threatening: Trump instills fear by threatening the global economy.
Abusers utilize passive and aggressive threats to reinforce their control over others, and to remind the victim they are powerless. Unfortunately, Donald Trump floats threats often, from his flippant comments on nuclear power to referencing a possible invasion in Iraq.
Not to mention, The White House’s bewildering response to Mexico’s refusal to pay for a wall caused the peso to drop yesterday, and experts believe Trump’s “America First” attitude will cause detriment to the world economy as a whole. Offhanded Twitter threats and erratic behavior from President Trump will decrease the stability of an already volatile world market.
4. Gaslighting: The White House’s “Alternative facts” is just gaslighting.
Gaslighting is a mental abuse tactic in which an abuser manipulates their victim into believing the abuse is simply not occurring or imagined. Trump’s ongoing pattern to assert false claims and alternative facts even after they are unfounded by accredited sources seems like an attempt to bolster his ego at the cost of truth. Most notably, his obsessive insistence that Mexico will pay for a border, despite months of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s clear-cut refusal, is classic gaslighting. Trump recklessly galvanizes his supporters with falsehoods, and in the process fueling tension between The United States and Mexico, as well as domestic citizens and refugees.
5. Manipulating: Trump is using his business to manipulate and extort Foreign Countries.
Manipulation is a broad topic, but implies the abuser is using subtle tactics to (re)establish control and place themselves in a power position. Between Trump’s business empire and new title as Mr. President, he holds a massive amount of sway in global politics that he seemingly uses to his own advantage. Trump’s Presidency poses convenient, interminable conflicts of interest no one in The White House will directly address. Need examples of Trump’s manipulative moves? Just search the new expansion of Trump Hotels, nepotism, and blatant exclusion of countries with business ties from his proposed Muslim ban.
Our country cannot accept or dismiss the ways President Trump chooses to engage with foreign leaders. In fact, our vigilance and resistance could be the only way to save the global economy.
