Second-term Trump: Constrained at home, unchecked abroad
- noemieviterale
- Jan 8
- 1 min read
Domestic resistance grows as US president's foreign-policy latitude expands
Steven R Okun and Thurgood Marshall Jr
Steven R Okun and Thurgood Marshall Jr served in the Clinton administration as deputy general counsel at the Department of Transportation and White House Cabinet Secretary, respectively. Okun serves as CEO of APAC Advisors in Singapore. Marshall practices law in Washington.
Even with his Houdini-like ability to escape consequences for actions once thought impossible, Donald Trump cannot avoid the same fate that befalls all second-term presidents: lame-duck status.
When it comes to guardrails on Trump's power, his Teflon coating may seem unique. Still, Trump faces challenges in Congress, in the states, as well as in some courts. While powerful, his ability to control events domestically declines.
"Presidents turn to foreign policy in their second term because it is more interesting than domestic stuff and they get treated more regally than in the hurly-burly of U.S. politics," Mike McCurry, White House press secretary under former President Bill Clinton, told us.
"Witness all the foreign leaders who show up to flatter Trump and then try to get what they really want."
This year, the incentives shaping his presidency shift to a U.S.-China deal and continued wealth accumulation, with consequences for governments and businesses in Asia. The recent acts of aggression in Venezuela will not be the last.
