'Comeback' Trump, MAGA Nail in 4 Weeks... Tariff Bombs and Territorial Ambitions Accelerate 'America First' [Why&Next]

One Month Since Trump's Return to Power
Trump's Second Term Begins with Tariffs... Signals New Expansionism
Pursuing Extreme Pragmatism Over Alliances, Values, and International Order
Abolishing Pro-Immigration, Environmental, and Diversity Policies to "Erase Biden"
"America Erased in Four Frenzied Weeks... Retreating from the International Community"

Donald Trump, the U.S. president who proclaimed "America First" as his inaugural statement, marked one month since his return to the White House on the 20th (local time). In just one month, he issued about 70 executive orders, pushing policies with overwhelming volume and speed. Internally, he reversed Biden's (former President Joe Biden) policies such as banning illegal immigration and abolishing diversity policies, while externally accelerating the "America First" agenda by ignoring alliances, values, and international order, imposing tariff bombs, and openly expressing territorial ambitions, plunging not only the U.S. but the world into shock and fear.

Unlike his tumultuous first term, Trump's second term is evaluated as having rapidly opened the "MAGA (Make America Great Again)" era within four weeks, backed by thorough preparations for re-election and loyal aides over the past four years. Local media poured out analyses such as "The America left by Biden was completely erased in the frenzy of four weeks," and "Trump lowered America's credibility and fundamentally changed the relationship between the U.S. and the world in just four weeks."

"No alliances, no values"?Trump's second term starts with tariffs... heralding new expansionism

President Trump began his second term with "tariff threats." He continuously issued country-specific tariffs, item-specific tariffs, and reciprocal tariff measures, threatening major countries worldwide and disrupting the global trade order. His first tariff action was signing an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico and an additional 10% tariff on China, citing fentanyl drugs and illegal immigration inflows. Although the tariffs on Canada and Mexico were temporarily delayed for a month, the fact that he aimed the tariff blade at allies clearly conveyed to the world that there are no alliances or values before America's interests. Following the official announcement of a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum products, he also announced plans to impose tariffs of 25% or more on automobiles, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals as early as March. He added timber and forestry-related imports to the list of tariff targets. However, as a businessman, President Trump left the possibility of deals open with major countries by pre-announcing tariff measures. This meant urging governments and companies to bring negotiation proposals to lower or avoid tariffs. In summit diplomacy with countries such as Japan and India, he demanded the elimination of trade deficits and secured promises to increase investment in the U.S. and imports of American products.

President Trump also revealed territorial ambitions, pursuing an expansionist path. He repeatedly asserted ownership and control over Canada, the Panama Canal, Greenland, and the Gaza Strip, and changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico, used for over 400 years, to the "American Gulf" alone. He advocated for Canada to become the 51st state of the U.S., claimed control over the Panama Canal, and expressed intent to purchase Greenland, which belongs to Denmark. He even mentioned developing the Gaza Strip, a powder keg in the Middle East, into a resort, saying "We will have Gaza." These remarks reflect the perspective of a New York real estate developer.

The key theme of President Trump's foreign policy over the past month is the logic of American interests and power. There are no alliances, friends, values, or international order. Under America First, only extreme pragmatism and deals exist. The U.S.-Russia ceasefire negotiations that "passed over" Ukraine are a clear example of Trump's foreign policy. President Trump called Volodymyr Zelensky, the war victim president, a "dictator who did not hold elections" and blamed him for the war. He excused Vladimir Putin, the Russian president who marked 25 years in power this year and decided on the invasion of Ukraine three years ago. Additionally, he pressured Ukraine to sign a mineral agreement demanding 50% of rare earth shares buried in Ukraine, effectively trying to make Ukraine a resource colony. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) criticized, "The U.S. pledged to defend its allies in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, taking on the role of a global guarantor of free trade and stability. The alliance system led by the U.S. after World War II strengthened American power. But Trump dramatically changed the direction of U.S. foreign policy in just four weeks. America became an alliance with reduced credibility, and (Trump) retreated in a way that fundamentally changed the relationship between the U.S. and the world."

Pro-immigration, environmental, and diversity policies abolished... speeding up federal government restructuring

AP Yonhap News

Internally, President Trump is flooding out various policies centered on "erasing Biden." On his first day in office, he declared a national emergency at the southern border to block illegal immigrants. He also declared a national energy emergency to expand fossil fuel production such as oil and gas. These attempts completely reverse the conciliatory immigration and pro-environment energy policies of former President Biden. President Trump also abolished the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies emphasized by Biden for minority rights. He redefined gender recognized in federal government policies as binary male and female, excluded transgender individuals from new recruitments, and introduced bans on transgender participation in women's sports competitions at schools. He is also trying to reduce or abolish subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the CHIPS and Science Act (CSA), which are considered representative policies of "Bidenomics" (President Biden's economic policies).

Furthermore, under the leadership of Elon Musk, Tesla CEO and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the federal government restructuring work is rapidly progressing. The Trump second-term administration has begun dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), responsible for U.S. overseas aid, and started reducing personnel and costs across all departments including the Department of Defense and the Department of Education. Most importantly, dismantling USAID signifies the end of aid diplomacy that democratizes developing and poor countries and aligns them with the U.S. through overseas aid rather than military power. There are already concerns that China, the biggest competitor in overseas aid, will fill the void left by the U.S.

U.S. media Axios evaluated, "Unlike Trump 1.0, this calculated chaos is designed to institutionalize MAGA, paralyze the president's enemies, and permanently dismantle Washington's establishment. In the past four weeks of the powerful, stubborn, and historically popular MAGA president's frenzy, the America left by Joe Biden on January 20 is erased beyond recognition."