Thank You for Your Inattention to This Matter
This commentary piece argues that international leaders are increasingly ignoring Donald Trump's rhetoric and threats. The author suggests that Trump's aggressive foreign policy statements have lost their impact due to repetition and a lack of follow-through.
Why it matters
It provides a critical perspective on the shifting perception of US foreign policy and presidential influence on the global stage.
The good news is that the world has stopped responding breathlessly to Donald Trump’s every empty provocation. That’s also the bad news.
Al Bello / Getty August 21, 2026, 6:16 PM ET Share Save
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One of Donald Trump’s current favorite riffs is to contrast how (in his opinion) the United States was seen under his predecessor, Joe Biden, and how it’s seen now.
“They didn’t respect us two years ago. They laughed at us. NATO laughed at us. Everybody laughed at us,” Trump said at a summit in Turkey with allies last month . “They don’t laugh anymore. There’s no more laughing.”
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