Deals, Drama, And Delusion: Trump's Return To World Stage Full Of Tamasha

US President Donald Trump's second term in office is not turning out any different than his first - marked less by diplomacy, but more by drama, officials have said. Mr Trump's style, laced with unpredictability, misinformation and showmanship, has turned serious global negotiations into a political circus, they said.

The latest in this tamasha is Mr Trump's calculation of tariffs which has confounded economists, many of whom argue they rest on faulty assumptions and lack economic rationale, officials said.

A stark example of this can be seen in the way the Trump administration has left allies including Vietnam blindsided and reduced serious policy to political theatre, sources said.

This is also substantiated by how the US president routinely bypasses formal channels to announce threats or supposed "deals" on his microblogging website Truth Social, often before informing diplomats or affected countries.

Vietnam Tariff Flip-Flop

Vietnam thought it had a deal after its negotiators worked out a preliminary agreement with the US to substantially lower punitive tariffs to 11 per cent. But just days before the White House's self-imposed July 8 deadline, Mr Trump unilaterally raised the figure to 20 per cent during a call with Vietnam's General Secretary To Lam, who hadn't even been part of the talks.

Mr Trump then announced this so-called deal on Truth Social, touting it as agreed and sealed, while in reality Vietnam never formally accepted the new terms. To date, no documentation exists to back Mr Trump's version of events, sources said, adding that Vietnamese officials were disappointed and angry, having believed they were working toward a credible agreement.

Mr Trump's abrupt imposition of harsher tariffs without consensus, paperwork or process derailed trust and embarrassed the Vietnamese side, who now face domestic political fallout for a deal they never fully agreed to, sources said.

Experts have warned the episode damaged US credibility, with former United States Trade Representative official Wendy Cutter saying, "It introduces even greater uncertainty, even once you think you've negotiated a deal, he (Mr Trump) can turn around and change the terms unilaterally and publicly. And in this case it appears that he did it unilaterally and publicly without any buy-in from Vietnam."

Witch-Hunt Cries, 50% Tariff Threat Over Jair Bolsonaro Trial

Mr Trump has turned global trade policy into a tool for personal grudges and political drama, with the Brazil episode being a prime example, sources said. He threatened a 50 per cent tariff on Brazilian goods unless President Lula da Silva stopped the trial of Jair Bolsonaro, Mr Trump's far-right ally and former Brazilian president.

The threat was not based on trade concerns; the US actually enjoys a surplus with Brazil, but purely on ideological and personal grounds, officials said. Mr Trump openly called the trial a "witch hunt" and used his social media platform to put pressure on Brazil's democratic institutions, saying he told President Lula to "stop this nonsense" or face economic consequences.

Blackmailed Columbia Into Tariffs: Deport Or Get Taxed

Earlier this year, in a fresh episode of Mr Trump's coercive trade diplomacy, he threatened to slam Colombia with tariffs and sanctions, all because Bogota refused to accept two US military aircraft carrying deported Colombian nationals.

Canada: "51st State Of US"

In February, Mr Trump imposed a 25 per cent tariff on nearly all goods imported from Canada under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), citing Canada's alleged role in the fentanyl crisis and illegal immigration as justification.

The then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Mr Trump's tariff justification "completely bogus" and accused the US president of trying to harm the Canadian economy to facilitate annexation, a claim Mr Trump had joked about and later reiterated seriously in some contexts.

Mr Trump subsequently raised tariffs on Canada to 35 per cent in mid-2025 due to perceived insufficient Canadian action to curb illicit drug flows into the US, and threatened a 40 per cent tariff on goods transhipped to evade tariffs.

These unilateral tariff moves were widely criticised in Canada and internationally, seen as politically motivated, destabilising longstanding trade agreements and undermining North American economic integration.

Mr Trump's remarks about annexing Canada and referring to Canadian leaders in derogatory terms contributed to the perception that his approach was more theatrical and confrontational than diplomatic, turning a bilateral relationship into a public spectacle of threats and retaliation.

"White Genocide" And South Africa

South Africa, a member of the BRICS grouping, has been hit with a steep 30 per cent tariff by the US, not over trade deficits, but politics and conspiracy. The move comes as Mr Trump escalates tensions with Pretoria over claims of a so-called "white genocide", a false narrative pushed by far-right circles and amplified within Trump's MAGA base, officials said. MAGA, short for Make American Great Again, is Mr Trump's campaign war cry.

Instead of engaging through facts or diplomacy, Mr Trump appears to be weaponising tariffs to pander to extremist talking points, turning trade policy into a tool of political spectacle and disinformation, sources said.

Brinkmanship Or Blackmail? Trump's 35% Tariff Sword Over EU

In a fresh bout of economic blackmail, Mr Trump threatened a blanket 35 per cent tariff on goods from the European Union (EU) if they did not make a $600 billion investment, a demand tied to vague and shifting trade negotiations.

On April 2, Mr Trump unleashed a wave of tariffs dubbed "Liberation Day," accusing the EU of "unfair trade practices." In swift retaliation, the EU announced counter-tariffs targeting politically sensitive US exports, including bourbon, Harley-Davidsons, and farm goods from key Republican states.

Mr Trump's move had already slapped a 20 per cent tariff across a wide spectrum of EU imports, ranging from cars and pharmaceuticals to machinery and agriculture. By late July, Mr Trump abruptly shifted tactics, offering to reduce tariffs if the EU committed to a $600 billion investment in US infrastructure and manufacturing, a demand with no formal agreement, rationale or documentation.

When the EU did not comply, Mr Trump escalated his threat to a 35 per cent blanket tariff, again without giving meaningful details or process.

Trump's '100% Chip Tariffs' Hit Japan's Giants

In another reckless trade salvo, Mr Trump imposed 100 per cent tariffs on semiconductor imports, hitting Japanese tech giants hard. Without warning or negotiation, Mr Trump's unilateral move threw Asia's supply chains into disarray and jeopardised key allies. Japanese giants Toyota and Honda were blindsided by the sweeping tariffs imposed by Mr Trump.

Trump Strong-Arms Taiwan With Tariff Blackmail Tied To Intel Deal

In another move blurring diplomacy, business and coercion, Mr Trump threatened Taiwan with a 15 per cent blanket tariff on its exports, unless the semiconductor giant TSMC agrees to buy a 49 per cent stake in Intel and pour $400 billion into the US economy.

Surprise Tariff Rise For New Zealand

In a sudden escalation, the Trump administration raised tariffs on New Zealand exports from 10 per cent to 15 per cent, drawing sharp criticism from Finance Minister Nicola Willis, who called it a "very blunt formula." 

Despite a longstanding friendship and trade imbalance already favouring the US, New Zealand has found itself penalised, highlighting Mr Trump's erratic, ally-agnostic trade playbook.