5 Times Donald Trump's Deals Collapsed
Is Trump really the dealmaker he claims to be?
Co-author of Trump’s trademark “Art of the Deal” book said he’d be fine if the infamous book was re-classified in the fiction section
*Donald Trump likes to brand himself as a master at deal-making. But as president, has he delivered? *
On North Korea - In dealing with Kim, also, Trump followed up an early slew of threats—at one point he even blasted his then-secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, for “wasting his time” trying to talk to North Korea—with repeated attempts at flattery and exchanging private messages with Kim and promising him a “very rich” country if he gives up his nuclear weapons. Yet neither Trump’s public diplomacy nor the talks with his ministerial-level negotiators have achieved any notable progress—except, perhaps, for Kim, who has gained an unprecedented degree of global recognition and legitimacy for his regime.
On a peace deal with Afghanistan - On one front where Trump might soon be able to achieve some success—negotiations with the Taliban—the president has left the negotiations almost entirely to his envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, and some experts fear that a promised U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan will lead only to a Taliban victory. But the prospect of talks collapsed after the Taliban’s claimed credit for a car bombing that killed 12 people during a presidential stay at Camp David.
On a trade deal with China - The tariff war with China has hurt some of Donald Trump’s rural voters. He started a trade war with China unilaterally—after pulling out of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership that had created a united front against China—only to find his counterpart, Chinese President Xi Jinping, unmoving on key issues such as state subsidies to business and intellectual property theft, even as markets are signaling that the two-year stalemate threatens the global economy.
On the resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict – President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital triggered unrest in the region and raised concerns about the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. David Friedman, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, caused more of a diplomatic firestorm earlier in summer 2019 by telling the New York Times that, under circumstances, “Israel has the right to retain some, but not likely all, of the West Bank.”
On buying Greenland from Denmark - Trump cancelled his official visit to Denmark because prime minister Mette Frederiksen rejected his offer to buy the country. Trump’s bid for Greenland isn’t without historical precedent. Denmark did sell some of its territory to the US in 1917, when the Danish West Indies became the US Virgin Islands.
It’s difficult to see where the diplomacy of these nations go from here, given the highly unusual situations. Tony Shwartz, the co-author of Trump’s trademark “Art of the Deal” book said he’d be fine if the infamous book was re-classified in the fiction section.
Brut.
Co-author of Trump’s trademark “Art of the Deal” book said he’d be fine if the infamous book was re-classified in the fiction section
*Donald Trump likes to brand himself as a master at deal-making. But as president, has he delivered? *
On North Korea - In dealing with Kim, also, Trump followed up an early slew of threats—at one point he even blasted his then-secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, for “wasting his time” trying to talk to North Korea—with repeated attempts at flattery and exchanging private messages with Kim and promising him a “very rich” country if he gives up his nuclear weapons. Yet neither Trump’s public diplomacy nor the talks with his ministerial-level negotiators have achieved any notable progress—except, perhaps, for Kim, who has gained an unprecedented degree of global recognition and legitimacy for his regime.
On a peace deal with Afghanistan - On one front where Trump might soon be able to achieve some success—negotiations with the Taliban—the president has left the negotiations almost entirely to his envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, and some experts fear that a promised U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan will lead only to a Taliban victory. But the prospect of talks collapsed after the Taliban’s claimed credit for a car bombing that killed 12 people during a presidential stay at Camp David.
On a trade deal with China - The tariff war with China has hurt some of Donald Trump’s rural voters. He started a trade war with China unilaterally—after pulling out of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership that had created a united front against China—only to find his counterpart, Chinese President Xi Jinping, unmoving on key issues such as state subsidies to business and intellectual property theft, even as markets are signaling that the two-year stalemate threatens the global economy.
On the resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict – President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital triggered unrest in the region and raised concerns about the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. David Friedman, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, caused more of a diplomatic firestorm earlier in summer 2019 by telling the New York Times that, under circumstances, “Israel has the right to retain some, but not likely all, of the West Bank.”
On buying Greenland from Denmark - Trump cancelled his official visit to Denmark because prime minister Mette Frederiksen rejected his offer to buy the country. Trump’s bid for Greenland isn’t without historical precedent. Denmark did sell some of its territory to the US in 1917, when the Danish West Indies became the US Virgin Islands.
It’s difficult to see where the diplomacy of these nations go from here, given the highly unusual situations. Tony Shwartz, the co-author of Trump’s trademark “Art of the Deal” book said he’d be fine if the infamous book was re-classified in the fiction section.
Brut.