Republican candidate Donald Trump is back to the White House. A second Trump presidency, coming at a time when the US is deeply involved in two wars in two corners of the world, could bring some unpredictability for the international community. Trump has been known to make statements that go against established US policy for organisations like NATO and the UN. He has also praised leaders who are not US allies. Here's the relationship Trump shares with various global leaders, and how far it could impact US policy. Trump and Vladimir Putin Trump seems to have an unconcealed admiration for the strongman Putin, and has promised to “end the Ukraine war in a day” if he comes to power. Experts believe he intends to do this by forcing Ukraine to concede some territory to Russia. When Russia's action in Ukraine began in February 2022, Trump had called Putin “savvy” and a “genius”. “.This is genius. Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine — Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful,” Trump had said in a radio interview with The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, as reported by Politico. “He used the word ‘independent’ and ‘we’re gonna go out and we’re gonna go in and we’re gonna help keep peace.’ You gotta say that’s pretty savvy,” Trump added. In February this year, Trump had claimed he told NATO countries he would encourage Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” if the NATO members don't pay their “bills.” During his Presidency, Trump had declared he believed Putin's reassurances about Russia not having meddled in the 2016 US elections. But personal bonhomie aside, Trump as President had imposed sanctions on Russia. Trump and Xi Jinping Like with Putin, with China's President Xi Jinping too, Trump has followed an approach of praising him personally but the admiration not reflecting in policy. In 2023, Trump had called Xi “smart, brilliant, everything perfect”, as reported by Politico. Earlier this year, he said on Fox News that he “got along great” with Xi. “Look, I want China to do great, I do. And I like President Xi a lot, he was a very good friend of mine during my term,” Trump said. In 2020, when he was still President, Trump had said in Davos, “Our relationship with China has now probably never, ever been better.. He [Xi] is for China, I'm for the US, but other than that, we love each other.” However, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Trump had repeatedly called coronavirus the 'China virus' and blamed China for its spread. In terms of policy, the US administration under Trump framed China as a “threat” and a strategic rival. No US President before him had explicitly framed Beijing as a strategic threat. This time too, he has promised to hike tariffs on Chinese imports. Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu While Trump was in office, he enjoyed a great rapport with Netanyahu, and his government staunchly backed Israel. As Trump himself put it in January 2020, “As everyone knows, I have done a lot for Israel: moving the United States Embassy to Jerusalem; recognising the Golan Heights, and, frankly, perhaps most importantly, getting out of the terrible Iran nuclear deal.” Trump also oversaw the signing of the Abraham Accords, which normalised Israel's ties with the four Arab countries of Sudan, Morocco, Bahrain, and the UAE. Trump's ties with Netanyahu soured after the latter congratulated Joe Biden for his victory in an election that Trump alleged was rigged. According to Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, Trump told him, “I liked Bibi. I still like Bibi. But I also like loyalty. The first person to congratulate Biden was Bibi. And not only did he congratulate him, he did it on tape. He was very early — like, earlier than most. I haven’t spoken to him since. F**k him.” Trump also criticised the Israeli leader for his failure in preventing the October 7 Hamas attack. However, the two leaders have worked on improving their relationship. In July this year, Trump hosted Netanyahu and his wife Sara at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida resort. Trump and MBS Trump's admiration for strongmen leaders extends to Saudi Arabia's crown prince and de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). When in office, Trump's first foreign visit was to Saudi Arabia. While the US and the desert kingdom have always had a strong oil-for-security relationship, Trump's personal liking for MBS gave it a fillip. Trump did not criticise MBS over allegations of human rights abuse in Saudi Arabia, and did not chide the Saudi leader even over the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. He vetoed attempts to limit military assistance to Saudi Arabia. Journalist Bob Woodward in his book Rage says that Trump claimed to have protected MBS. “I saved his a**. I was able to get Congress to leave him alone,” Trump told Woodward. In April this year, Trump and MBS had a conversation. In October, Trump said on Saudi state-owned TV network Al Arabiya that he has “so much respect for the king, so much respect for Mohammed, who is doing great. I mean, he’s really a visionary. He’s done things that nobody else would have even thought about.” Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner also have business interests in staying on the right side of MBS. Trump and Kim Jong Un Trump's ties with Kim have swung between extremes, with the two making nuclear threats against each other to Trump claiming they "fell in love" after exchanging letters. Back in 2018, Kim during his New Year’s address had said he had a “nuclear button” on his office desk and “the whole territory of the US is within the range of our nuclear strike.” Trump responded with a tweet: “Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!” Later that same year, the two leaders met in Singapore in June, and then at a rally in West Virginia in September, Trump said: "I was really being tough — and so was he. And we would go back and forth. And then we fell in love, okay? No, really — he wrote me beautiful letters, and they're great letters." While Trump and Kim could not finalise a deal to curb North Korea's missile programme, Trump claimed he kept in touch with Kim even after leaving office. In October this year, he said that he gets along with the North Korean leader "very well".
