Donald Trump’s approach to foreign policy has faced a ton of criticism, especially in terms of its ethical and moral underpinnings. Trump succeeded in one of the most significant shifts away from traditional American values. He emphasized transactional relationships with foreign leaders over established principles. Among the crimes he skipped over most conspicuously was the 2018 Saudi government killing of American-based dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This brutal case at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul has raised global awareness about human rights concerns. The significance of this omission underscores a wider trend in Trump’s foreign policy. He puts business interests and personal relationships ahead of ethical responsibility.
The CIA concluded that the murder of Khashoggi had been ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Despite this alarming revelation, Trump maintained a close relationship with the Saudi leadership and other autocratic rulers in the Gulf region. Throughout his time in office, he often lauded the extravagant palaces of these dictators. He fell in love with their palaces, calling them “perfecto” and “very, very hard to buy.” This love for authoritarian strongmen flies in the face of recent American foreign policy. Before that, the guiding principle was a push for democracy and human rights.
Trump’s presidency was characterized by significant financial engagements with Gulf states, including a historic $142 billion defense cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, hailed by the White House as the largest in U.S. history. He also achieved $1.2 trillion in other agreements with Qatar, including a $96 billion deal to purchase Boeing jets. These deals illustrate the extent to which Trump promoted his family’s business interests while in office. Critics further note that this engagement sapped his foreign policy of any coherent definition of America’s national interest.
Critics have lamented the fact that Trump has thrown out any pretense of standing by American values in his foreign policy. As former Middle East peace negotiator Aaron David Miller recently noted, “He gives transactionalism a bad name.” This affirmation highlights the devastating impacts of catering to self-serving agendas at the expense of advancing our nation’s goals. Miller further elaborated on the consequences of Trump’s approach, stating, “The level of self-dealing in this administration means the notion that the national interest is now seamlessly blended with Donald Trump’s personal interests and financial interests.”
Trump’s foreign policy is a sharp departure from all preceding administrations. In its place, it has removed the ethical and moral framework that used to guide American international relations. His actions have angered Democrats and foreign policy specialists on both sides of the aisle. As former national security advisor John Bolton noted, every new presidency promises to have a different focus. Their track record on values often tells a different story. Similarly, Ned Price, a former State Department spokesperson, remarked that Trump’s policies are predicated not on national interests but on personal ones.
Trump’s willingness to ignore and even embrace human rights violations has caused a great deal of concern among observers. Known for frequently siding with strongmen like Russia’s Vladimir Putin against democratic interests, most notably on the issue of Ukraine. This disposition adds yet more fuel to the fire of the belief that Trump is committed to dictators who butter him up—even if it means ignoring morality.
The former president’s journey in foreign policy reflects a generational shift with profound implications for how American influence is perceived globally. Senator JD Vance recently celebrated this change, claiming that it “radically changes the character of American engagement abroad.” Representative Ro Khanna spoke out last year against Trump’s embrace of cultural relativism. He maintained that this position is an abandonment of universal values like freedom and the rule of law.