WASHINGTON, December 25, 2025 – President Donald Trump's second term in office, beginning January 20, 2025, has been characterized by a pragmatic, "America First" approach to foreign policy, emphasizing burden-sharing with allies, economic leverage through tariffs, and selective intervention in global crises. The administration's actions in 2025 reflect a departure from traditional U.S. global policing, focusing instead on transactional deals, regional stabilization, and managed competition with major powers.
A cornerstone of this vision was the release of the 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) in early December, a document that outlines a recalibrated U.S. posture prioritizing the Western Hemisphere, restraint in overseas commitments, and pragmatism over idealism. The NSS declares the end of the era where the U.S. single-handedly upholds the global order, urging European allies to take greater responsibility for collective defense while asserting American preeminence in the Americas through a "Trump Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine.
The strategy downplays the Middle East's strategic weight, noting subsiding conflicts following the Gaza ceasefire and U.S. actions against Iran's nuclear program, while shifting focus toward economic competition in the Indo-Pacific. It describes U.S. policy as pragmatic without being pragmatist, realistic without being realist, and principled without being idealist.
One of Trump's notable achievements was brokering a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. After a September summit on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where Trump met leaders including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the administration advanced a multi-point peace initiative. This led to a ceasefire entering force in October, involving hostage releases, humanitarian aid surges, and plans for postwar stabilization, including potential international forces. Despite ongoing violations and challenges in implementation, the truce has held broadly, with regional buy-in from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey.
In contrast, efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, nearing its fourth year, proved more elusive. Trump, who campaigned on resolving the conflict "within days," halted major U.S. military aid to Kyiv early in the year following tensions with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The administration pursued direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and proposed a 28-point peace plan favoring territorial concessions, but no comprehensive settlement emerged by year's end. The NSS frames ending the war as a core U.S. interest to restore strategic stability with Russia, drawing criticism for omitting Moscow's aggression and pressuring Europe.
Trump sought to strengthen ties with key regional players. A September White House meeting with Erdogan addressed Gaza, Ukraine, defense cooperation, and trade, described as highly positive. In a major shift, the U.S. normalized relations with post-revolution Syria, lifting sanctions and hosting President Ahmad al-Sharaa—the former jihadist leader—at the White House in November, aiming to counter ISIS and reduce Iranian influence.
Toward Venezuela, Trump adopted a hardline posture, escalating sanctions, seizing oil tankers, and ordering a blockade of sanctioned vessels to pressure President Nicolás Maduro, amid debates over potential military confrontation.
Relations with China were nuanced: While maintaining tariff competition, the administration deprioritized Beijing as the top threat in the NSS, approved Nvidia's H200 chip exports with fees, and delayed broader semiconductor tariffs until 2027, signaling managed rivalry over confrontation.
By year's end, Trump's record showcased selective peacemaking successes in Gaza and Syria, ongoing challenges in Ukraine, and a reoriented global role prioritizing economic tools and hemispheric dominance, even as critics argued it isolated allies and emboldened adversaries.
