The G-20 will showcase a rogue President Trump and a no longer \’indispensable\’ U.S.
In Argentina, President Trump will by no means be seen as indispensable. On the contrary, the president will likely be seen by many in the world — and by some in attendance at the event — as a pariah. A new Pew poll shows him with the lowest global public confidence ranking of the major leaders attending — by far. With a 70% “no confidence” rating, he ranks behind Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The scandal-shrouded, self-declared nationalist Trump is devoted not to the post-World War II rules-based world order but to undermining it, upending international deals on climate, trade and arms control. He isn’t a partner in global economic management but rather an unpredictable and reckless financial loose cannon.
On the economics front, instead of world leaders, led by Washington, coming together in Buenos Aires to avoid what appears to be a looming slowdown in the global economy, the G-20 nations will be bracing for more trade tensions between the U.S. and China or the U.S. and Europe. Trump’s sideline meeting with Xi will be closely watched: A further breakdown in their relationship could trigger an escalation in the U.S.-China trade war by the tariff-loving Trump.
Read the entire article, published by the Los Angeles Times, here.
