TRUMP’S ‘SHOCK AND AWE’: FORGET FIRST 100 DAYS, NEW PRESIDENT SHOWS OFF FRENETIC PACE IN FIRST 100 HOURS

President Donald Trump’s re-entrance into the White House has meant the complete overturning of Biden administration policies, the withdrawal of major international agreements and uncertainty that has left international partners waiting to see where they stand in the pecking order as some manage damage control while others vie for a seat at the table.

President Donald Trump’s return to the White House has seen the complete reversal of Biden administration policies, the withdrawal of major international agreements and uncertainty that has left international partners waiting to see where they stand in the pecking order as some manage damage control while others vie for a seat at the table.

Trump’s actions came as no surprise this time around as the 45th president enters his second term. But what it means in terms of geopolitics remains unclear as adversaries and allies alike watch to see how these next four years will play out.

TRUMP’S ‘SHOCK AND AWE’: FORGET FIRST 100 DAYS, NEW PRESIDENT SHOWS OFF FRENETIC PACE IN FIRST 100 HOURS

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with Trump earlier this month at his Mar-a-Lago residence. The Italian leader, who has already voiced her support for Trump’s position on international issues like increasing NATO defense spending, attended Trump’s inauguration on Monday. According to reports this week, she has been deemed the “Trump whisperer” and the “preferred interlocutor in the EU” – a particularly important relationship amid concern that Trump could start a trade war with Europe.

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a long-time ally of Trump, championed his return to the Oval Office this month and reportedly declared that with Trump in office he could launch the “second phase of the offensive that aims to occupy Brussels,” which he claimed is “occupied by a left-liberal oligarchy.” Orban, though invited, did not attend the inauguration due to a scheduling conflict.

Argentina’s President Javier Milei, once hailed by Trump as the leader to “make Argentina great again,” is looking to expand relations with the U.S. On Wednesday during the Davos World Economic Forum, he told Bloomberg he may be willing to leave the more than 30-year-old Mercosur trade bloc founded by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay in 1991, if it means securing a new trade deal with the U.S.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scrambling to secure a trade deal with the U.S. amid concerns over international tariffs. Despite improved ties between India and China, and a meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia last year, Reuters reported on Wednesday that Modi is looking to back off its reliance on Beijing – its largest trading partner – and instead lean in on relations with Washington. Modi is looking to meet with Trump in February.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump maintained a strong relationship during the president’s first term, and a similar dynamic is expected to remain during Trump’s second term. Netanyahu on Monday released a video message congratulating Trump on his inauguration and said that “the best days of our alliance are yet to come.” He also thanked Trump for the role his administration played in helping to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which initiated the return of the hostages still held in Gaza.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Trump will be tested as the U.S.-U.K. partnership, often described as a “special relationship,” has seen London be one of Washington’s closest allies. The ties will be put to the test as Starmer, who has been previously critical of Trump, will have to navigate the relationship between the U.S. and U.K.

Starmer in 2023 condemned the U.K.’s Conservative party for “behave[ing] more and more like Donald Trump” rather than embodying the values championed by Winston Churchill.

“They look at the politics of America and want to bring that here,” he said. “Is there anybody in the government now who feels a sense of obligation to anything other than their own self-interest? To democracy, the rule of law, serving our country?”

“It’s all woke, woke, woke. Wedge, wedge, wedge. Divide, divide, divide,” he added.

Starmer has since pledged to work with Trump and to ensure the “special relationship” endures, though he is expected to face a tough road.

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France’s Emmanuel Macron, the leader of the U.S.’s oldest ally, is the only remaining European leader on the United Nations Security Council who was in office alongside Trump during his first term. Trump and Macron often butted heads during Trump’s first term and, despite an invitation to the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in December, reports indicate this time will likely be no different.

While Macron was among the first to congratulate Trump on his second presidential victory, he also issued multiple statements of warning this week, first when he said that now is the time for a “European strategic wake-up call