Not Even Trump Can Obliterate America's Soft Power

The downsides of President Donald Trump’s first year in office are legion, but among the most serious has undoubtedly been his effect on American soft power. Case in point is the global response to the president’s alleged remarks that the U.S. should no longer accept immigrants from “shithole countries” such as Haiti and various African nations — an episode that has once again shown how Trump excels at using the bully pulpit to bring down international condemnation on his own country.

Yet, as I argue in my new book, “American Grand Strategy in the Age of Trump,” the president’s entire first year has represented a veritable assault on American soft power — one that will likely cause damage outlasting Trump’s time in office.