The Golden Trident

By Emmett Blackwell

Photos Courtesy Of Politico

Since Donald Trump was elected to power in 2016, he has quickly become famous, or infamous, for his unorthodox use of power and public statements. His brash manner of speaking has polarized many Americans, and while some see this as a positive, no-nonsense way of dealing with domestic and foreign matters, others see it as a negative. Let’s look a little deeper into Trump’s dealings with both allies and enemies.

In February of 2024, during a campaign rally, Trump noted a conversation he had held with a NATO leader, who has not been named. The leader asked him if he would protect them from a Russian attack, to which he responded, “No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them [Russia] to do whatever the hell they want,” (Shalal, Reuters Magazine).  However, this was far from the only time Trump has used these seemingly hostile negotiation “tactics” on those who should be considered an ally. In July 2025, he threatened Brazil with 50 percent tariffs, citing a “witch hunt” against his former ally, Jair Bolsonaro, who was president of Brazil. Bolsonaro was charged with attempting to overturn the 2022 election, and many saw this move as a response by Trump to Brazilians threatening his ally. Trump and Bolsonaro have maintained a close and publicly friendly relationship, with the Brazilian president endorsing Trump’s 2020 election campaign and Trump praising him as a “strong leader” who truly “loved his country”.  While this intimidation tactic failed, and Bolsonaro was convicted for attempting a coup, it doesn’t always end this way when Trump demands something.

In October 2021, Trump focused his sights on YouTube. The site had previously suspended his account following the January 6th riots, in a refusal to support his blatant inciting of an attack on the Capitol. This led to a lawsuit against YouTube for 24.5 million dollars, and YouTube settled, along with a slew of other companies, fearing a backlash from the Trump administration. It should go without saying, but the president of the United States should not be suing social media or any companies for millions of dollars, especially for defamation, which Trump has sued a myriad of times. The press’s ability to criticize the government and the president falls under the First Amendment, so this should not be possible. However, news networks such as Fox News have been left completely untouched by Trump, although they have criticized Democrats in the same way that has prompted Trump to sue in the past.Trump’s boldness has seemingly grown with time, with the latest in a string of insults against allied countries taking place at the United Nations’ 80th anniversary general debate. After being applauded for approximately 13 seconds, Trump took the podium and began a rambling rant about US administrations, UN immigration policies, and why climate change is a “con job”. However, throughout this storm of disrespect to many of our allies, what stood out to me was this: “It’s – I can tell you. I’m really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell” (Wolf, CNN). Yes. He said that our closest allies, who we rely on for a stable coalition, are going to hell. Some might justify this by saying that he’s right – and while the UN does have problems, it might be time for our president to take a look a little closer to home. We have our own problems here in the US, such as a government shutdown, unaffordable healthcare, high unemployment rates, and millions of people in poverty.  I would argue that these problems are a little more important than suing journalists and insulting allies.