Donald Trump still walks into every room like he owns the world. Perhaps, in his head, world leaders are just characters in his reality show, waiting to be fired or flattered into obedience; however, the 2025 edition of Trump seems to have forgotten one small detail – the world has changed and it’s not scared of him anymore.

Sure, back home, he can rattle Big Tech or make headlines by taking aim at Harvard. He thrives on the optics of power. But beyond U.S. borders, his act is wearing thin. No one’s queuing up to join his fan club.

Geo Politics And Trump

Putin? Not Impressed.
Despite all of Trump’s chest-thumping about being the only man who can “deal” with Russia, Putin’s playing his own game and winning. He is steamrolling through Ukraine, brushing off U.S. diplomacy like a fly on his shoulder. Russian state media, once cautiously respectful of Trump’s unpredictability, now openly portrays him as all bark and no bite; a man who talks tough and folds when it matters.

China? Still Doing Its Thing.
Trump thought he could stare down Xi Jinping with tariffs and tough talk. But Beijing certainly does not play those games. Trump misunderstood the script – Chinese leaders cannot afford to be seen kowtowing to an American president – not even one who talks like a mafia boss. Behind closed doors, U.S. officials are fuming. All those handshake deals, as it turns out they were just for the cameras.

Let us talk about EU Now.
The so-called trade war with Europe, Trump threw some punches, the EU lost the plot for a bit but quickly bounced, and then Trump backed off. Financial analysts even coined the term “TACO trade” – Trump Always Chickens Out. Harsh, but pretty accurate.

Even Netanyahu Has Priorities.
If there was one leader who seemed like Trump’s ideological twin, it was Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump gave him everything in his first term: Jerusalem, peace plans, political cover. But the game has changed a bit in Trump’s second term, now Trump wants a shiny Middle East peace deal, and Bibi’s busy keeping the Gaza war going – because simply and factually put for Netanyahu, it is about survival, not Trump’s legacy.

Iran, A Headache No One’s Solving.
Trump’s dream of a new Iran deal is also hitting a wall, Israel wants action, not diplomacy and the longer Trump tries to look like a peacemaker, the more he is boxed in by allies who think his timing (and judgment) are way off.

Here is the uncomfortable truth – Trump thinks he is playing superman on the world stage and in contrast most of the world leaders are playing a totally different game. They have stopped taking his calls not literally (though maybe that too) but diplomatically, politically, strategically as they have realized they do not need to flatter the man in the gold tower anymore.

And it is not just this term. Trump’s been bragging for years that he could fix global problems with a phone call and a grin. His “very good relationships” with strongmen were supposed to be magic keys to world peace but spoiler alert – those leaders do not do favors, especially not for someone whose own grip on power looks shaky.

Let us not pretend this is new, either.
U.S. presidents have a habit of mistaking charm for strategy. Bush thought he saw Putin’s soul. Obama believed charisma could reset the world order. Biden promised “America is back” – only for the world to shrug and say, “Not really.”

So where does that leave Trump?
He is now doubling down on the idea that being loud is the same as being powerful. But leadership is certainly not just about throwing weight around, it is about convincing people to follow. That is called soft power and that is what Trump has been bleeding dry.

The Grinding Reality
So here we are – Trump is back, but the world has moved on.

Putin’s not listening. Xi’s not flinching. Netanyahu’s busy. The EU’s unimpressed. Canada is probably just ignoring him on principle. And the rest have figured out that the emperor’s clothes do not fit like they used to.

Trump can keep talking like he is in charge; but these days, the world is not even tuning in; Trump’s biggest win is not a trade deal, it is his distortion of reality!

Trump’s Tariff Tango – From Firestarter to Fireman (Sort of)
So far, tracking Trump’s 2025 trade war is starting to feel like a loop – America has now entered a “truce” phase (if you can call it that) with Trump rolling back his sledgehammer 145% tariffs on Chinese imports down to a still-punishing 30%, and China quietly following suit, lowering its counterblow from 125% to 10%.

This is what passes for good news in Trumpworld – the pain is still here, just numbed a little, and everyone is supposed to breathe a sigh of relief and be grateful.

Wall Street did, in fact, cheer the development, not because 30% tariffs are any kind of win, but because investors are starting to think that Trump might not actually have the appetite for his own economic carnage. After weeks of chaos and roller-coaster selloffs, the market is now operating under one basic principle – less disaster = rally.

This is classic Trump optics – cause the crisis, then pretend to solve it by walking back the worst of it. The markets pop, the headlines sing, and the base applauds. But let us not kid ourselves – 30% tariffs are still a body blow to the economy. It’s just that after taking a punch to the face, a jab to the ribs feels like a hug.

If you are wondering how that math plays out in the real world, here is a taste: Americans are still on track to pay $2,800 more per household this year thanks to the remaining tariffs and nearly half a million jobs are projected to vanish by December, according to Yale’s Budget Lab!

That is not a saving – that is a cold wind blowing through the labor market!

The sudden tariff U-turn is possibly because Trump blinked. Or maybe someone finally showed him a chart. Either way, it reinforces what businesses have been saying for months – there seems to be no long-term strategy here. Trump talks trade like it is a poker game, but it is more like Calvinball – the rules change mid-play, and everyone’s exhausted and lost.

As economist Justin Wolfers put it: “Today we have good news, but what would really be good news is if someone just took the button away from him.” Honestly, that says it all.

Winning The Game, Not Really?
Meanwhile, the White House is spinning this latest twist as a “huge win,” conveniently ignoring the fact that it was Trump who built this house of economic stress to begin with. This comes days after he announced a “landmark” trade deal with the UK, which in reality was more of a gentleman’s handshake and less of a deal – a vague promise that may or may not result in anything of substance.

Now let us put the microscope on what the so-called China breakthrough really is – a slowdown of the self-inflicted bleeding. Trump did not end the trade war; he just turned the heat from “scalding” to “uncomfortably hot.” Supply chains are still rattled. Prices are still climbing. And uncertainty still looms like a dark cloud over every CFO’s morning meeting.

Hence yes, 30% is better than 145%. But let us not pretend this is visionary leadership; it is crisis mismanagement repackaged as strength. And if history is any guide, this 90-day pause might just be the calm before the next Trumpian storm because flatly when the man (Trump) thrives on chaos, stability is not the plan, it is the threat!