Leaders | American diplomacy

Is Donald Trump a good dealmaker?

Amid a flurry of moves, the president is turning America into the world’s broker, not its underwriter

US President Donald Trump is greeted by Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, May 14th 2025
Photograph: AP

Donald Trump wants to use his second term to revolutionise America and its relationship with the world. He is engaged in an astonishingly wide range of international crises and negotiations, in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. It is perhaps the most intense bout of White House diplomacy for a generation. So it offers clues as to whether Mr Trump is as skilled a dealmaker as he says. The answer so far is that he is good at catalysing negotiations, but bad at closing them.

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