How Trump has already changed the world

How Trump has already changed the world

Source : BBC News
BBC Stylised image of Trump dressed in suit with design background of map of the worldBBC

Long before Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president, the global impact of his second term was already being felt.

From Jerusalem to Kyiv to London to Ottawa, his election victory and the anticipation of a new Trump agenda changed the calculations of world leaders – with some far-reaching consequences.

In the lead-up to the handover of power in Washington, our correspondents dissected these changes in the regions where they were.

Middle East – ceasefire deal in Gaza

By international editor Jeremy Bowen

Donald Trump has made an impact on the Middle East even before he sits down in the Oval Office to start his second term as president.

He cut through the delaying tactics that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in alliance with his ultra-nationalist coalition partners, had used to avoid accepting the ceasefire deal that Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden put on the negotiating table last May.

American pressure on Hamas and other Palestinian groups is a given. Under Biden, pressure on Israel was the lever that was never pulled. Trump starts his second term claiming credit, with reasonable justification, for getting the ceasefire deal in Gaza over the line. He can bask in some glory.

UK – a secret ‘mini cabinet’

By Laura Kuenssberg, presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

Trump and his team are different this time round, more prepared, with a more aggressive agenda perhaps, but his delight in keeping the world guessing seems undimmed. It’s this uncertainty accompanying Trump that the British political establishment in Whitehall and Westminster finds so shocking.

How can the UK prepare for what it can’t yet know?

A small group of senior ministers has been trying.

There have been series of secret “mini-cabinet” meetings, with the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves, the Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and the Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds “trying to plan for what might come”, according to one source.

One insider tells me there hasn’t been too much preparation for multiple specific scenarios because “you’d drive yourself crazy” trying to guess Trump’s next steps. But another source says various papers have been prepared to be presented to the wider Cabinet.

I’m told the focus has been “looking for opportunities” rather than panicking about whether Trump might follow through on some of his more outlandish statements, such as annexing Canada.

Ukraine – pressure for a deal

By Orla Guerin, senior international correspondent

The return of Trump to the White House means new realities for Ukraine – the new US president wants a peace deal, not a soaring bill for US military support.

That much is clear. How he intends to get there is not.

His original boast – that he could end the war in a day – has been revised by his new Russia-Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg. Lieutenant-General Kellogg (retired) has said he would like “a solution” within 100 days.

If Trump can push both sides into negotiations, Ukraine won’t be coming to the table in a position of strength. Moscow currently control’s one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory, including the Crimean Peninsula which is annexed in 2014.

Many here fear President Trump will push for a settlement on Russia’s terms.

President Zelensky has indicated he is ready for some compromises. Three years into Russia’s invasion, he has little choice.

But President Putin, who is winning on the battlefield, albeit slowly and with massive losses, may have no desire to stop now.

Canada – threat of tariffs adds to turmoil

By Jessica Murphy, Canada digital editor

The political instability in Ottawa comes as Canada faces a number of challenges – not least the vow by Trump to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods.

Until recently, Justin Trudeau seemed determined to hang on as prime minister, citing his desire to face Pierre Poilievre – his ideological opposite – in the polls.

But the shock resignation of Trudeau’s key deputy, former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, in mid-December – when she cited his perceived failure to not take Trump’s threats seriously – proved to be the final straw.

Members of Trudeau’s own party began to make it publicly clear they no longer supported his leadership.

And with that, the last domino fell. Trudeau announced his resignation as PM earlier this month.

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