Why it matters: Trump has claimed he’ll bring peace to Ukraine, curb China’s unfair trade practices, force allies to pay up, and prevent further shocks like the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel — all because decision-makers around the world fear what he’ll do if they defy him.
Driving the news: Trump told the Journal he’d threaten to impose massive tariffs or cut off trade altogether to prevent China from blockading Taiwan.
- Asked if he’d use military force if Xi still followed through, Trump dismissed the possibility outright: “I wouldn’t have to, because he respects me and he knows I’m f***ing crazy.”
- In the same interview, Trump claimed he’d told Russian President Vladimir Putin: “We’re friends. I don’t want to do it but… if you go after Ukraine, I am going to hit you so hard,” including “right in the middle of fricking Moscow.”
- There’s no evidence that conversation actually happened, but Trump has recounted interactions with leaders all over the world in similar terms.
Zoom in: Trump’s former national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, made the case this week that Trump’s unpredictability could indeed have prevented the invasion of Ukraine.
- While Putin knew President Biden would deploy sanctions but not troops, Putin would have faced the unlikely but unnerving possibility Trump might send in the Marines, O’Brien told the New York Times.