By John Q. Hosedrinker 
The United States’ credibility in foreign and security policy has suffered significant damage, particularly with the current administration. Recent events, including a speech at the United Nations and a reversal on the Russian war in Ukraine, have led to international shock, confusion, and even indifference from world leaders. These incidents further eroded the already dwindling trust in American leadership. The loss of credibility is a costly blow to the nation’s standing on the global stage.
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Trump Has Lost Credibility Worldwide, at Huge Cost
It’s difficult to know where to begin, really, when considering the loss of credibility surrounding Trump. The overwhelming sentiment seems to be that he never possessed much to begin with. It’s almost a common refrain: Trump never had credibility. His actions, his words – they’ve always been viewed with a certain degree of skepticism, even derision, on the global stage. And the consequences of this lack of credibility are significant, rippling out to affect the United States in profound ways.
It’s not just Trump, though. Many people feel that the entire United States has suffered a hit to its reputation. Electing him, not once but twice, sent shockwaves across the world. It’s like watching a slow-motion train wreck, as one person put it, with many in the international community either bewildered or actively laughing. The idea that a country that prides itself on democracy and leadership would repeatedly choose someone like Trump has, understandably, shaken the faith of many. The irony isn’t lost on anyone, that a nation so focused on incarcerating its citizens seems unable to hold its most obvious offenders accountable.
The economic damage is, frankly, staggering. One person said the global trade realignment will be brutal. Trump’s policies have, in a relatively short time, essentially dismantled a trade empire built over a century, one that cost “inconceivable amounts of treasure and blood and man-hours”. The implications for America’s economic future are dire, affecting generations to come. The loss of the US dollar as the world reserve currency has been mentioned as a future event.
The loss extends beyond economics, of course. America’s soft power – its influence based on culture, values, and diplomacy – has been severely diminished. Its alliances, once a cornerstone of its global standing, have been frayed. How can the world trust a leader who is seen as erratic, untrustworthy, and beholden to his own self-interests? There seems to be a widespread sense that the United States squandered its position as a beacon of freedom and opportunity, and that Trump’s actions have been the biggest factor in that squandering.
This isn’t to say that Trump’s base of supporters doesn’t exist. It certainly does, and it appears that they are still with him. The problem is that the world sees him differently. The international community, or large parts of it, see him as a bozo, a buffoon, or even, as some have suggested, a “useful idiot” for adversaries like Vladimir Putin. Putin, some believe, has skillfully exploited Trump’s weaknesses to undermine America’s interests, with disastrous consequences.
It’s hard to overstate the damage. It’s not just that foreign leaders might not trust him – it’s that they might not trust *us*. The country as a whole is perceived as having lost credibility, because he represents the nation. And how can America lead when it has lost the trust of those it seeks to lead? In the end, Trump’s actions have done far more than just damage his own reputation. He has, in many ways, damaged the reputation of the United States, and the price of that damage will be paid for a long time to come.