In his second term, Donald Trump has crafted a foreign policy that is more radical than that of his first but also more politically viable. The stabilizing influence of powerful Cabinet members (the so-called axis of adults) is a thing of the past. In its place stands an unsettling but coherent vision that exploits U.S. allies for economic gain and downplays strategic competition with U.S. rivals in favor of moneymaking deals.

Democrats and conservative internationalists warn of long-term costs—above all to American alliances and competitiveness with China—but the short-term consequences have so far been muted, and that may be the most consequential revelation of all. President Trump has shown that a nationalist, protectionist, and transactional approach to global affairs can be sustained

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