{"id":840439,"date":"2026-06-03T02:10:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T02:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/840439\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T02:10:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T02:10:23","slug":"trumps-self-declared-reputation-as-a-world-class-dealmaker-continues-to-collapse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/840439\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s self-declared reputation as a world-class dealmaker continues to collapse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nearly two weeks after Donald Trump boasted<\/a> that a \u201cpeace\u201d agreement with Iran had been \u201clargely negotiated,\u201d and the world could expect to learn more about the breakthrough deal \u201cshortly,\u201d officials from Tehran effectively walked away from the negotiating table<\/a>. The American president with a notoriously short attention span told CNBC<\/a>, \u201cI really don\u2019t care. I couldn\u2019t care less,\u201d adding that he thought the protracted talks had become \u201cvery boring.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for why exactly Iran backed away from the diplomatic efforts, there were three apparent causes. One was the increased U.S. military strikes, coupled with Israel\u2019s ongoing incursion in Lebanon. But The Washington Post reported<\/a> that Iranian negotiators were also surprised and displeased when Trump made last-minute changes to the terms of the deal that had been previously worked on by members of his own team.<\/p>\n

This, alas, was not the first time the American president had undermined what U.S. negotiators had presented<\/a> to Iranian officials.<\/p>\n

It led Joe Cirincione, the vice chair of the Center for International Policy and a longtime expert on nuclear policy, to highlight an underappreciated observation<\/a>: \u201cTrump is perhaps the world\u2019s worst negotiator.\u201d<\/p>\n

To be sure, Republicans not only reject this fact, the entire party\u2019s vision of the GOP is built around the idea that Trump is a dealmaker without equal. During her tenure as the State Department\u2019s chief spokesperson, Tammy Bruce told<\/a> Fox Business, \u201cPresident Trump is, as we know, the best dealmaker in the world.\u201d Around the same time, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins made related on-air comments, telling Fox Business<\/a> that Trump\u2019s dealmaking abilities are \u201cunlike anything I think any of us have ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

But has anyone seen any evidence at all that Trump has had any success as a political dealmaker? The hype is certainly obvious and ubiquitous \u2014 I could retire if I had a dollar for every Republican who has referred to the president\u2019s ghostwritten \u201cArt of the Deal\u201d \u2014 but proof that bolsters the partisan assumptions is elusive.<\/p>\n

As The Atlantic\u2019s David Graham explained<\/a> last week:<\/p>\n

\n

Donald Trump\u2019s reputation and political career were built on his dealmaking prowess, yet the president keeps demonstrating that he is a terrible negotiator.<\/p>\n

Repeatedly over the past nine years, Trump has gotten rolled by counterparts during high-stakes exchanges. North Korea, Russia, Russia again, China, and China again have gotten the better of the United States. Trump has had to slink back to Washington without much to show except empty talk about friendship with whatever dictator has just run circles around him. He\u2019s had some success in brokering agreements when acting as a third party (though not nearly as much as he pretends) but much less luck when his own government is a participant.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Unfortunately, the problem isn\u2019t limited to foreign affairs and international diplomacy. As a candidate in 2016, Trump told Fox News<\/a>, \u201cThe problem with Washington, they don\u2019t make deals; it\u2019s all gridlock. And then you have a president that signs executive orders because he can\u2019t get anything done. I\u2019ll get everybody together.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a familiar boast. Indeed, shortly before launching his Republican candidacy, he identified this as his greatest strength. \u201cDeals are my art form,\u201d Trump claimed<\/a>. \u201cOther people paint beautifully or write poetry. I like making deals, preferably big deals. That\u2019s how I get my kicks.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the election, the White House bought into and amplified the hype. In 2019, then-press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters<\/a>, \u201cThe president is, I think, the ultimate negotiator and dealmaker.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the evidence of Trump actually succeeding on this front does not exist. There were literally zero instances in which he successfully brought Democratic and Republican leaders together and negotiated a major legislative breakthrough during his first term. Indeed, after a few years in the White House, Trump largely gave up on even trying<\/a> to make deals with Congress, and in his second term, we\u2019ve seen more of the same.<\/p>\n

The Washington Post reported<\/a> in August 2020, \u201cThe president who pitched himself to voters as the consummate negotiator and ultimate dealmaker has repeatedly found his strategies flummoxed by the complexities and pressures of Washington lawmaking.\u201d In a related Post column, Jackson Diehl explained<\/a>, in reference to Trump, \u201cHe\u2019s not up to serious negotiation. He can\u2019t be expected to seriously weigh costs and benefits, or make complex trade-offs. He\u2019s good at bluster, hype and showy gestures, but little else. In short, he may be the worst presidential deal maker in modern history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diehl\u2019s column was published eight years ago this week. The evidence to bolster the case is even more obvious now.<\/p>\n

This post updates our related earlier coverage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The post Trump\u2019s self-declared reputation as a world-class dealmaker continues to collapse<\/a> appeared first on MS NOW<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article was originally published on ms.now<\/a><\/p>\n