Remember the last time when the president of the United States was considered to be the most powerful man in the world?
It was January, whether the man in question knew it or not.
Oh c’mon. Spare me your Biden-dignation! Don’t stop reading now. Yes, Biden was fundamentally a good man and an excellent president. But his decline was right there for all to see—and the cover-up was a really big deal.
Why? Because if Biden had announced he wasn’t running for reelection in 2022 or 2023, it’s far more likely a Democrat would be president today, and America’s leader would not be a corrupt, demented criminal seeking to undermine our most fundamental freedoms.
Further, Democrats would not now be engaged in a deeply misleading debate about whether their party should sell out its principles and engaging in MAGA cosplay (see: California Gov. Gavin Newsom) to win over right-wing voters. Instead, we would be currently inundated with books about the end of MAGA and the triumph of progressives values in the Biden-Harris era. And think of all the mealy-mouthed let’s-meet-the-fascists-halfway consultants and commentators who would be out of work.
Just close your eyes and imagine it for a moment.
Sweet.
That said, it is probably true that even had Biden done the right thing—and again, I have spoken at length to dozens of top Biden officials who agree he should’ve honored his original promise not to run again—the president of the United States would not be considered the most powerful man in the world. But that is because she would be recognized as the most powerful woman in the world. Sorry. I can’t stop thinking about what might have been.
Seriously, though, just as it is important to put aside reflexive defensiveness and consider what happened with Biden because it provides essential insights into the true nature of American politics, so too does understanding why our current president is no longer considered the world’s most powerful man is vital to understanding the current state of geopolitics worldwide.
The fall of the influence of the U.S. presidency and the impact of Trump’s narcissism, extremism and greed on American leadership has been sudden and self-inflicted.
For example, Trump’s announcement of the temporary cooling of his trade war with China speaks volumes. First, the fracas itself only weakened the American economy but undermined trust in the U.S. as a partner and an international leader. And Trump’s oscillation from imposing the crazy high tariffs to the embarrassing retreat the “deal” announced last weekend in Switzerland represents undercuts his standing deeply. He is now seen the blustering bully he is—and, simultaneously, as an impulsive, poorly-advised political weakling.
Meanwhile, Xi Jinping comes out of the confrontation looking like one of the steroidal muscle-men Trump is often portrayed as in the incel fanfic art our Mad King loves to re-“truth.” The Chinese leader made it clear that China would not be cowed and had the resources, power and international standing to withstand anything Trump could throw at him.
There is no question after this latest exchange and, of course, considering China’s rapid growth, huge populace and growing international clout, that Xi is now the world’s most powerful person.
But Trump is not number two either. Indeed, with the election of Pope Leo XIV, he’s not even the most powerful American. And beyond the pontifex, there are actually plenty of others ahead of him.
If we are talking about the most powerful people, rather than just men, you’ve got to include EU leaders like Ursula von der Leyen and Christine Lagarde who are stepping into the void created by Trump’s narcissistic foreign policy plans. Likewise, others who have stood up to him, defeated him or have the apparent ability to manipulate him behind the scenes have to be considered more powerful than Trump. That includes the financial bosses on Wall Street whose firms move markets, who have also quickly forced the president to capitulate to them.
The money men and women behind Trump’s campaign have also demonstrated their clout. Elon Musk may have been a failure in every respect as the head of DOGE, producing minimal cuts in spending, causing chaos and emerging as a liability for both the administration and for some of the companies he runs. But he was in Saudi Arabia at Trump’s side. His products are being bought big time by the U.S. government; the same with the sale of his products overseas.
The broader contingent of tech broligarchs surrounding Trump are getting their preferred policies baked into administration executive orders and legislation pretty much exactly as they have dictated it. There’s the women who serve as Trump-whisperers, from the phantom-like Melania to far-right nutcase Laura Loomer. And then, you know, Beyoncé because well, she’s Beyoncé.
And with Trump having indicated he is not running for re-election, he is a lame duck. This gives even more clout to the deep-pocketed donor-owners who will choose his successors. It’s increasingly clear that Trump’s focus has shifted from anything to do with governing to cashing in on the presidency during the time he’s got left in power. He’s monetizing the White House like never before. That’s corrupt. But what it does is essentially say the power that once resided in the presidency is now for sale or rent, cash, checks, crypto or aircraft accepted in exchange for a slice of U.S. policies, actions or government disbursements.
Where does this put Trump in the world’s power hierarchy? It’s hard to quantify the exact and growing number of financial, tech, corporate and world leaders who now dictating what dance our President does. But it’s probably fair to say that thanks to these past four months of Trump, the U.S. president no longer makes the top 25 on any world’s most powerful list.
The post Opinion: Trump Thinks He’s All Powerful. He’s Got It All Wrong appeared first on The Daily Beast.
