Updated February 28, 2025 at 11:53 AM ET
China – a country President Trump has railed against for most of his political career – may be the big winner in his administration's alienation of longtime allies in Europe and around the world.
Since taking office, Trump has embraced Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, seemingly taking sides against Ukraine, and has chastised Western European countries. This week, the president renewed a threat of a 25% tariff on European goods.
Morning Edition is exploring the repercussions of America's foreign policy reversals and realignments under President Trump with different writers, analysts and leaders.
It may be too early to make definitive judgments, but there's no question in former U.S. ambassador Winston Lord's mind that there are forces at work here that could lead to a new world order.
Lord worked closely with Henry Kissinger and is the only surviving U.S. witness of a landmark meeting in 1972 between President Richard Nixon and China's Mao Zedong.
Lord said this new world order, under which the U.S. has less influence around the globe, is "one where we're living in a world of major powers and ruling spheres of influence and getting rid of norms and institutions and propping up autocrats and eroding democracy."
Lord spoke to NPR's Leila Fadel about why China may benefit from Trump's actions and the president's approach to foreign policy may affect U.S. standing in the world.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Leila Fadel: Can you break that down for me when you say Trump's approach is going to damage U.S. standing in the world and U.S. influence in the world. What does that look like?
Winston Lord: We're cutting off aid programs, which is in our national interest and foreign influence. We're getting out of all kinds of international institutions like the climate agreement and many others. We're encouraging proliferation of nuclear weapons. Countries can't depend on us. We are discouraging our allies. I could go on for a half an hour about all the terrible things that are being done to America and our position in the world.
Editor's note: The U.S. has resumed $870 million in spending on security assistance programs for Taiwan, a democratic self-governing island that China claims as its territory.
Fadel: As you point out, it's been just over a month, but a lot has happened. Just this week, the U.S. joined Russia and North Korea in voting against a resolution condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine. Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on the European Union. How do you view this moment?
Lord: I think Trump has done more damage to America's position in the world, not even mentioning what he's doing to our democracy at home, in one month than decades of Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. It's reversing decades of bipartisan foreign policy. It's going to lead to a terribly diminished American role in the world.
Just think what's going to happen in Asia if this continues. China and North Korea are delighted at what's going on. If he can sell out Ukraine, he could easily sell out Taiwan.
Fadel: Your historic trip with Nixon to Beijing changed the fate of Taiwan. Will what's happening today under the Trump administration fundamentally change the U.S. approach?
Lord: So it is premature to conclude conclusively what he's going to do about China and Taiwan. On the other hand, you have Marco Rubio and Michael Waltz and other hawks in the administration to protect Taiwan and to be suspicious of China and many others in the Congress. And so it would be interesting to see how Trump's instinct to talk up to dictators and with people like Xi Jinping and to forget about commitments and just worry about our own transactional economic interests comes up against the hawks in the administration.
But I must say that given the fact that he's made comments on Taiwan taking advantage of us, making the point they're far away, that they ought to do more for their own defense – I'd be apprehensive if I were in Taiwan.
Fadel: What are the things that China might be taking from the U.S. rapprochement with Russia?
Lord: Now, those who are apologists for Trump say, "well, maybe what he's trying to do is a reverse Nixon and Kissinger, namely to pry Moscow away from Beijing" — when they've gotten closer and closer.
Fadel: Trump said he planned to impose next week an extra 10% tariffs on top of the 10% duty he levied at the start of the month on imports from China. How does this impact the economy in China and the economy in the U.S.?
Lord: Well, it hurts both and hurts the world economy. And here over time, it's going to lead to greater inflation. China, however, has been preparing for some time, particularly with Trump coming, but even before that, to be less affected by American economic pressures. So their economy will hurt, but they are much better positioned now to ride out American economic retaliation.
Fadel: How are other U.S. allies in Asia viewing these shifts in longstanding American foreign policy?
Lord: With astonishment. And they're appalled. If this trend continues, no one can depend on the United States under Trump to come to their defense. There could be a real drift toward either accommodating China because they don't have America as a deterrent or going after their own nuclear weapons. It's a disaster for Asia as well as Europe.
The radio version of this story was edited by Olivia Hampton and produced by Ana Perez.
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