In his inaugural address this January, Donald Trump declared that his proudest legacy would be that of “a peacemaker and unifier”, pledging that US power would “stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent, and totally unpredictable”.
Five months later, his second presidency is witnessing the spectacular unraveling of that lofty aspiration.
A president who vowed to end global conflicts – including one which he said he would resolve within his first 24 hours – has instead presided over their escalation – most recently the spiraling conflict between Israel and Iran.
The timeline of the latest conflict resuggests a stark disconnect between Trump’s aspirations and reality: the wave of Israeli airstrikes came just hours afterTrump urged Israel not to attack Iran.
Marco Rubio, Trump’s secretary of state, took pains to describe the Israeli attack as “unilateral”, stressing that the US was “not involved in strikes against Iran” – only for Trump to then insist he had been well informed of Israel’s plans – and warn that further attacks would be “even more brutal”.
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who has emerged as Trump’s primary diplomatic negotiator in the Middle East and Ukraine, still reportedly plans to go to Oman this weekend for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, but it appeared unlikely the Iranians would attend.
Trump’s muddled peace agenda was already disarray long before Thursday’s attacks.
The Gaza ceasefire his administration helped broker collapsed within weeks, with Israel resuming massive bombardments and imposing a three-month total blockade on humanitarian aid to the territory, where the death toll has now surpassed at least 55,000.
In Ukraine – a conflict Trump once bragged he would end on his first day back in office – Russian forces have pressed ahead with a summer offensive, entering the Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time in three years and accumulating more forces – evidence that Putin has no interest in Trump’s peace overtures and intends to expand the war further.
Meanwhile, Trump’s abrupt announcement of a ceasefire between India and Pakistan was met with fury in New Delhi, where officials denied his claims of brokering the deal.
And while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged to Congress that the Pentagon has developed contingency plans to seize Greenland and Panama militarily, it’s unclear how territorial conquest fits into Trump’s definition of peacemaking.
His first term ended no wars, nearly sparked conflict with Iran, and saw his signature “peace” achievement – the Abraham accords – normalize relations between Israel and countries that weren’t fighting it anyway.
Part of Trump’s appeal to voters was precisely a promise to avoid foreign entanglements. In the stands at the inauguration viewing party, supporters told the Guardian how they valued his restraint in military deployment and favored his America-first approach that prioritized domestic concerns over international aid and intervention. And there is a an argument that for Trump peace is not an absence of conflict but rather Washington’s distance from it.
There is one potentially optimistic interpretation for the latest strikes in Iran. Alex Vatanka, the Iran director from the Middle East Institute in Washington, suggested that Israel’s attack could be a calculated gamble to shock Iran into serious negotiations. The theory holds that Israel convinced Trump to allow limited strikes that would pressure Tehran without triggering regime change, essentially using military action to restart stalled diplomacy. On Friday Trump suggested that the strike on Iran might have even improved the chances of a nuclear agreement.
“This is not likely to bring Iran back to the negotiating table,” said Andrew Borene, executive director of global security at Flashpoint and a former staff officer at the US’s office of the director of national intelligence. “It marks the opening of yet another rapidly expanding flashpoint within the global context of a new hybrid cold war, one that will be fought both on the ground and in the darkest corners of the web.”
Whether this strategy succeeds depends entirely on Iran’s response. The regime could either return to negotiations chastened, or abandon diplomacy altogether and pursue nuclear weapons more aggressively. Early indicators suggest Tehran may not be in a conciliatory mood after having its facilities bombed and leaders killed.
But even if the more optimistic readings prove correct, it does not change the broader reality: every major conflict Trump inherited or promised to resolve has intensified on his watch.
Trump promised to be a peacemaker. Instead, he’s managing multiple wars while his diplomatic initiatives collapse in real time. From Gaza to Ukraine to Iran, the world appears more volatile and dangerous than when he took his oath five months ago.
Understanding what is happening in the Middle East is more important than ever.
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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/14/trump-gaza-ukraine-iran-israel
US President Donald Trump has announced that tariffs on steel imports to the US will be increased by 50%, which is twice the current rate, CNN reports.
“We are going to increase tariffs on steel in the United States by 25%, from 25% to 50%,” he said during a speech at a US Steel plant near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Trump added that he was considering a 40% tariff, but industry leaders told him they wanted a 50% tariff.
“At 25%, they can somehow get around this fence. At 50%, nobody will get around this fence,” the US president added.
He later wrote that tariffs on steel and aluminum would be increased to 50% starting Wednesday, June 4.
“I am honored to raise tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25% to 50% starting Wednesday, June 4. Our steel and aluminum industries are reborn like never before. This will be another big boost of great news for our great steel and aluminum workers. Let’s make America great again!” he wrote.
Earlier, the Experts Club analytical center released a global analysis of steel production by the world’s leading countries. For more details, follow the link: https://youtube.com/shorts/VgUU9MEMosE?si=EZIE-o9jE0w2O9Z_
The administration of US President Donald Trump is ready to pay $1,000 in compensation to illegal immigrants who decide to leave the country voluntarily, the US Department of Homeland Security said on Monday.
“Self-deportation is the best, safest, and least expensive way to leave the United States without arrest if you are in the country illegally,” the department quoted Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen as saying.
“The department is offering to pay for travel and provide a reward through the CBP Home mobile app for returning home. Every illegal immigrant who uses this app for self-deportation will receive a reward of $1,000 after confirming their return to their home country,” the press release also said.
The Associated Press notes that as part of its tougher immigration policy, the Trump administration has radically updated the app developed under former President Joe Biden. The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) One app, which provided access to various agency services for entering the country and obtaining asylum, is now called CBP Home and is designed to “help immigrants return to their home countries,” the agency said.
In recent months, the US president has introduced a series of tough measures to combat illegal immigration. In particular, he has approved initiatives to step up the deportation of illegal immigrants from the US. Shortly after his inauguration, Trump announced the introduction of a state of emergency on the border with Mexico.
The presidents of Ukraine and the United States, Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump, held a productive meeting in Rome, Politico reports, citing a White House representative.
“President Trump and President Zelensky met privately today and had a very productive discussion,“ White House Communications Director Stephen Chung said.
“More details about the meeting will be provided later,” he said.
The presidents arrived in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis. Ukrainian presidential spokesman Sergei Nikiforov announced the meeting between Zelensky and Trump before the start of the funeral ceremony.
According to media reports, the US and Ukrainian presidents may continue talks after the funeral of Pope Francis.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he may allow individual exceptions to the 10% tariff for most trading partners, although he considers the rate the minimum for countries seeking to negotiate with Washington, Bloomberg reported Saturday.
“There may be some exceptions for obvious reasons, but I would say 10% is the minimum,” Trump told reporters Friday aboard Air Force One en route to Florida. He did not specify what the reasons were, nor did he announce any new fare changes.
The announcement came after fare increases for dozens of countries announced in the week. Some were later postponed due to negative market reactions. China was hit with duties of 145%, while a prime rate of 10% has so far been applied to most nations.
“Despite this, the average duty rate in the U.S. could reach historic highs. Beijing, in response to Washington’s actions, raised tariffs on US goods to 125%. China said it will not respond to further steps, but is preparing other measures,” the report said.
Trump said at the same time that “the market is stable” and the dollar will remain “the currency of choice”. He also expressed confidence that the trade standoff with China could end positively.
US President Donald Trump has expressed confidence that Greenland will become American.
“We will get Greenland – 100%,” he said in an interview with NBC News.
According to the American president, “there is a good possibility that it will be possible to do it without the use of military force, but you can’t rule anything out.”
Asked what signal the Greenland acquisition would send to Russia and the rest of the world, Trump said, “I don’t really think about it. I don’t really care. Greenland is a totally separate issue, totally different. It’s international peace. It’s international security and strength.”
The other day, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance visited Greenland. According to him, the island is likely to gain independence from Denmark in the future, after which the US will start working with Greenland to establish bilateral relations.
Earlier, Trump repeatedly said that he would like to see Greenland as part of the United States.
