...Some observers believe that, based on his recent actions, Trump is most focused on establishing a clear sphere of influence for the United States in the Americas while leaving Europe largely to the Europeans and Asia to the Asians. This is too extreme and overlooks the more significant features of Trump’s supposed worldview: a) narrowly transactional approaches designed to achieve specific economic benefits, b) a desire to increase the overall influence of the U.S. without wasting resources on overseas military ventures, and c) defending against actions that make him look weak.
Indeed, on the last point, Trump believes that many countries, including close allies, have taken advantage of the U.S. and is thus focused on correcting this. Elon Musk follows Trump’s lead in all this, no doubt. Still, he has strong financial interests in China and elsewhere, including his massive Tesla car and battery production facilities near Shanghai, that obviously raise questions as to how confrontational, or broadly strategic, he might be, especially toward Beijing.