‘America first’ can’t mean America alone if West hopes to counter China

“Some of his ideas really are the same ideas that I have,” US President Donald Trump declared while hosting New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the Oval Office. “I want him to do a great job, and we’ll help him do a great job,” he added, marking a dramatic turnabout after months of attacking Mamdani as a “communist lunatic” endangering Trump’s beloved city.

In another reversal, Trump also cleared the release of the Epstein files after months of stiff resistance in the face of growing legislative and public pressure. Then came a major legal setback as a federal judge dismissed charges against James Comey, the former FBI director who oversaw an investigation into alleged Russian election interference in 2016.

Trump’s seemingly softening approach is a response to his diminishing domestic political capital. Some analysts are already calling him a lame-duck president. At this moment, embracing a more pragmatic and collaborative approach would make even more sense on the international front.

Months into his trade wars against both foes and allies, the Trump administration is running into major resistance. No country has proven more sturdy and potentially successful than China, which has patiently negotiated tactical arrangements with Washington while building up its own economic power. If anything, Beijing has accelerated its self-sufficiency drive, which has placed it in pole position on a wide range of cutting-edge technologies and critical industries.

Against this backdrop, Trump needs to embrace a more pragmatic approach at home towards the Democrats as well as key allies and partners overseas. By all indications, Trump’s attempts at embracing his own version of state capitalism and industrial policy are insufficient to meet the China challenge. He will have to work in tandem with European and Asian allies if the West is to stand any chance against a resurgent China.

Unsurprisingly, Trump interpreted his second election victory as full support for his populist agenda. He has used this mandate to unleash a dramatic crackdown on immigration as well as political rivals at home. Geopolitically, he has adopted a more muscular foreign policy, which culminated in the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities and potential military action against Venezuela.

  

​Read More