The World No Longer Takes Trump Seriously
By: Tom Nichols (The Atlantic)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
At parades and in the halls of global power, America has been sidelined.
By Tom NicholsDaniel Acker / Bloomberg / GettySeptember 5, 2025, 10 AM ET ShareSave
The leaders of Russia, China, and North Korea are not good men. They preside over brutal autocracies replete with secret police and prison camps. But they are, nevertheless, serious men, and they know an unserious man when they see one. For nearly a decade, they have taken Donald Trump's measure, and they have clearly reached a conclusion: The president of the United States is not worthy of their respect.
Wednesday's military parade in Beijing is the most recent evidence that the world's authoritarians consider Trump a lightweight. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and North Korea's maximum nepo baby, Kim Jong Un, gathered to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II. (Putin's Belarusian satrap, Alexander Lukashenko, was also on hand.) The American president was not invited: After all, what role did the United States play in defeating Japan and liberating Eurasia? Instead, Trump, much like America itself, was left to watch from the sidelines.
But the parade was worse than a mere snub. Putin, Xi, and Kim stood in solidarity while reviewing China's military might only weeks after Putin came to Alaska and refused Trump's pleas to end Russia's war against Ukraine. The White House tried to spin that ill-advised summit into at least a draw between Putin and Trump, but when the Kremlin's dictator shows up with no interest in negotiation, speaks first at a press conference, and then caps the day by declining a carefully planned lunch and flying home, that's a humiliation, not an exchange of views.
Nor has Trump fared very well with the other two members of this cheery 21st-century incarnation of SPECTRE. In the midst of Trumpian chaos, Xi is adroitly positioning China as the new face of international stability and responsibility. He has even made a show of offering partnership to China's rival and former enemy India: Chinese diplomats last month said that China stands with India against the American "bully" when Trump was, for some reason, trying to impose 50 percent tariffs on India.
Likewise, the North Koreans, after playing to Trump's ego and his ignorance of international affairs during meetings in the president's first term, have continued their march to a nuclear arsenal that within years could grow to be larger than the United Kingdom's. Trump was certain that he could negotiate with Kim, but the perfumed days of "love letters" between Trump and Kim are long over. Pyongyang's leadership seems to know that it costs them little to humor Trump politely, but that they should reserve serious discussion for the leaders of serious countries.
Trump responded to his exclusion from the gala in Beijing by acting exactly like the third-tier leader that Xi, Putin, and Kim seem to think he is. As the event was taking place, Trump took to his social-media site—of course—to express his hurt feelings with a cringe-inducing attempt at a zinger. "May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America."
Now, the reality is that Russia, China, and North Korea are conspiring against America, but it is beneath both the dignity and the power of an American president to whine about it. Trump continued his unseemly carping with a demand that China recognize the valor of the Americans who died in the Pacific:
The big question to be answered is whether or not President Xi of China will mention the massive amount of support and 'blood' that The United States of America gave to China in order to help it to secure its FREEDOM from a very unfriendly foreign invader. Many Americans died in China's quest for Victory and Glory. I hope that they are rightfully Honored and Remembered for their Bravery and Sacrifice!
This message does not exactly project confidence and leadership; instead, it sounds like the grousing of a man beset by insecurities. A more self-assured commander in chief would have ignored the parade and, if asked about it, would have said something to the effect that the United States has always respected the sacrifices of our allies in World War II. But not Trump: He petulantly declared that he would not have attended even if the cool kids had invited him.
Authoritarians are unfortunately in good company in treating Trump as an incompetent leader. Even America's allies have recognized that Trump may be their formal partner, but that they mostly get things done with the American president by soothing his ego and working around him. After Trump emerged from the summit in Anchorage essentially parroting Putin's talking points, seven top European leaders rushed to Washington to tell Trump that he had done well and that they truly, really respected him, but that perhaps he should hold off on being a co-signer of Kremlin policy.
Trump's damage to American power and prestige would be less severe if the president had a foreign policy and a team to execute it. He has neither: Trump ran for president mostly for personal reasons, including to stay out of prison, and his foreign policy, such as it is, is merely an extension of his personal interests. He holds summits, issues social-media pronouncements, and engages in photo ops mostly, it seems, either to burnish his claim to a Nobel Prize or to change the news cycle when issues such as the economy (or the Jeffrey Epstein files) get too much traction.
Worse, Trump is no longer surrounded by people who care about foreign affairs or can competently step in and create consistent policy. In his first term, Trump had a secretary of defense, James Mattis, who helped to create a national-defense strategy, a document that Trump might have ignored but was at least promulgated to a national-security establishment that needed direction from someone, somewhere. Now, at the Pentagon, Trump has Pete Hegseth, who shows little apparent inclination or ability to think about complexities.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was supposed to be one of the new "adults in the room," but he has instead become a man in a Velcro suit, with the president sticking jobs and responsibilities onto him without any further guidance. He has been reduced to sitting glumly in White House press sprays with foreign leaders while Trump embarrasses himself and his guests. Meanwhile, the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, is spending her time trying to root out the spies she thinks hate the president. Unfortunately, the agents she's hunting are Americans, which must bring a smile to Xi's face and perhaps even produce a belly laugh from former KGB officer Putin.
America is adrift. It has no coherent foreign policy, no team of senior professionals managing its national defense and diplomacy, and a president who has little interest in the world beyond what it can offer him. Little wonder that the men who gathered in Beijing—three autocrats whose nations are collectively pointing many hundreds of nuclear weapons at the United States—feel free to act as if they don't even think twice about Trump or the country he leads.
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He'll always have Alaska.
It's pretty rich for China to accuse the U.S. of being a bully considering all the bullying China has been doing to its neighbors in the South China Sea, especially the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Trump is a complete disaster.
Agree that China is continuing to aggressively be encroaching upon Philippine territory and claiming dominance over the South China Sea, far from their own territorial waters.
Have to disagree about Trump. He's doing what he was elected to do, and all the powerless lefties can do is bitch, moan, and cry.
Apparently the reactionaries elected Trump to diminish America's standing in the world, destroy America's economy and impose a police state. Congratulations! You're getting exactly what you voted for.
He has almost 3 1/2 years left, and if that doesnt work out for him JD Vance is in the wings. Not good times for our country.
Maybe the midterms will cause him to back off some, but that is no sure thing at all.
"Merica jus got all leetist and shit, so we like a Praisident that representifies real Mericans like us!"
I'm not sure lefties will ever be able to look in the mirror and admit to themselves that Americans elected Trump simply to stop their nonsense.
If this place is any indicator ….. not a chance.
You really think the voters will keep making the mistake of voting for Democrats? Not likely
That's like saying "I'm not sure if women will ever be able to look in the mirror and admit to themselves that wearing a short skirt that was the reason they got raped". Perhaps those on the left have gone overboard on a few things, but in general they want the same things as any conservative. Safe schools, quality job markets, low inflation, strong defense. They didn't deserve Trump rape. And they certainly don't deserve the scum bag conservatives sitting on the side laughing while watching America getting raped and our constitution pissed on by a fucking orange clown.
That may be the most ridiculous analogy in the internet today.
Having a president you don't like is not in any way similar to being a rape victim. Seriously, get some perspective.
What Trump is doing to our nation is very much like rape. Sure, maybe the less than half of America that got roofied by Trump said they were okay with it, the rest of us are not.
[deleted][✘]
I'm not sure reactionaries will ever be able to look in the mirror and admit to themselves they would eat shit if Trump told them to.
Now there is a word i have not heard or seen since the last time i watched McClintock and jerry van dykes character uttered it to the duke .... sounded just as foolish the first time i heard it as when i hear it now .
And the triggered will never make the connection that such comments are just hyperbolic nonsense. Nothing more.
If the sum total of one's political education comes from watching sitcoms on TV it would be no surprise that their fund of knowledge is empty.
bingo and bazinga
that sounds like a reactionary response to me...
Must inquire though, are you Bazinga and Sparty Bingo ? cause all in all, it does have a nice Ringo, for peeps to Star, just don't get star struct, them Sun of a bitches, are usually large and hot .
I hate to make assumptions, but i'd have to guess even the both of you, know, Trump is FCKN US, and the only reason anyone might not feel it, it's because Trump is hung like a thimble, haven't any seen South Park ?
Well, I can't do anything about [removed] [✘] who like to watch.
Day two of the most ridiculous analogy on the internet.
It's moronic shit like this that drives people to vote for Trump.
Well it does appear that you assume i care about others opinions of myself , hint i dont , or that i care for trump , again i dont , i just dont show displeasure like others , but to be fair , i also dont show my displeasure for his opposition since i support their direction even less than i support the trump .
The enemy of my enemy , is not my friend .
Did anyone ever take Trump seriously? He's a joke that's no longer funny. He's a sexual predator clown. He's a washed-up former reality TV show host who has since been convicted of 34 felonies, been impeached twice and incited an attempted insurrection and then pardoned the insurrectionists. The only thing the world takes seriously is that they know he's dumb as shit but more sensitive about his image than a 13-year-old cheerleader. He is arguably the worst human being ever to step foot in the oval office. Inflatable wavy-arm tube-men outside car dealerships are taken more seriously than the petulant man-child-in-Chief.
I dont think there's much of an argument left.
Wow - haven't seen so much hyperbole and exaggeration in ages.
What'd you just say - in human terms??
What hyperbole?
Hyperbole: noun - exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
He is a sexual predator.
He is a 34 times convicted felon.
He was impeached twice.
He did incite an attempted insurrection.
Perhaps comparing him to the " Inflatable wavy-arm tube-men" was a bit of an exaggeration since they can't speak so can't truly be "taken more seriously" than Trump. However, if one was holding a sign that said the dealership was having a sale, I'd believe that "inflatable wavy-arm tube-man" over anything dumb fuck Donald says.
I'd like to thank everyone for the laughs at watching people who just spent four years defending a President who others leaders had to babysit to keep from wandering off to look at butterflies complain about a President not being taken seriously. Priceless stuff.
The world is moving on without him and without America. Trump insults most world leaders except his favorite dictators.
His admiration and frequent compliments of how these dictators have great military parades, rule with an iron fist, and how he has a great relationship with them.
Trump shuns NATO countries, shuns Europe, and threatens to invade Greenland. The world is sick to death of Trump.
They don't respect a man who's a convicted felon, supported and pardoned insurrectionist criminals in America, and is credibly accused of sex offenses. He bankrupted several of his own businesses, he attacks the world with tariffs that hurt other countries and Americans too.
The only thing the world takes seriously is his craziness. They want no part of it.
Hardly a day went by over the whole week's TV broadcasts about the war against Japan when there were not hours of tributes for the American Flying Tigers, and events with the surviving pilots and American staff who came to China to celebrate the victory against Japan. China maintains museums and statues of the American efforts to assist China, and there have been commemorative events with the descendants of the Flying Tigers. I have not only previously posted articles about them on NT, but I visited a museum honouring the Americans who were stationed in Chongqing (which, then known by Chunking) was the base for the Americans during WW2. Even the movie 30 Seconds Over Tokyo depicts the Chinese people rescuing the Americans who crashed in China, and displayed their gratitude for what they were doing.
It was unfair of the author to have made that comment which disparages the Chinese people's gratitude for America's involvement in helping China against the Japanese.
Problem is we were not allied with the current Chinese government but rather with Chiang Kai-sheks Nationalist government. Most of whom didn’t survive Mao’s “cultural revolution” purges.
A museum in CCP run China, for the Flying Tigers, is a very interesting remnant of that time. Indeed.
There are 3 museums, each in different cities, comemmorating the Flying Tigers. However, even the Communist government, notwithstanding it was the Nationalist government that was aligned, indicates its gratitude or I would not have been able to watch the multitude of programming about the Flying Tigers, nor would there be 3 museums comemmorating them. So it is not JUST the people who are grateful.
Museums In China That Commemorate The Flying Tigers
Flying Tigers Exhibition Hall
Stilwell Museum
F.eihu.dui Memorial Hall
The only Flying Tigers I’ve met:
wikipedia is blocked where I am.