Trump Favors Blunt Force in Dealing With Foreign Allies

Peter Baker: “Soft power is out. Hard power is in. Since returning to the White House, President Trump has demonstrated that he prefers to bludgeon, not bargain, his way to foreign policy goals.”

“With counterparts from Asia, the Middle East and North and South America, Mr. Trump has shown a willingness to use American power in a way that most of his modern predecessors have not. His favorite blunt instrument is not military force but economic coercion, like the tariffs he ordered on Saturday on goods from Canada, Mexico and China.”