One of the most striking features of Donald Trump’s second administration is its willingness to trash decades of US soft power. The “America First” approach has little interest in winning or keeping friends, which it views mostly as freeloaders on US largesse. One demonstration is the threats of tariffs or force even against allies to coerce them into doing the administration’s bidding. Another is the suspension of billions of dollars of US foreign aid — and the assault on the agency that manages about two-thirds of the funds, USAID. This has thrown initiatives aimed at helping vulnerable people around the world into chaos, and is harming America’s own interests.
唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)第二届政府最引人注目的特点之一，就是其摧毁美国数十年软实力的意愿。“美国优先”方针对赢得或保持朋友的兴趣不大，特朗普政府认为他们大多是寄生在美国的慷慨之上。一个例证便是，这届政府即使对盟友也会发出关税或武力威胁，以迫使他们服从它的意愿。另一个例证则是暂停数十亿美元的美国对外援助，并攻击管理约三分之二此类资金的机构——美国国际开发署(USAID)。这使得旨在帮助世界各地弱势群体的计划陷入混乱，并损害了美国自身的利益。