The Daily – "Alienating Allies and Wooing Enemies"

Date: June 11, 2018
Host: Michael Barbaro
Guest: Mark Landler, New York Times White House Correspondent
Theme: President Trump’s Unorthodox Foreign Policy: Fracturing Relationships with Allies at the G7 While Embracing North Korea

Episode Overview

This episode examines President Donald Trump’s disruptive approach to U.S. foreign policy at a pivotal moment: immediately after a tumultuous G7 summit in Canada—where he alienated America’s closest allies—and just prior to his historic meeting in Singapore with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un. Michael Barbaro and Mark Landler unpack the symbolism, motivations, and potential consequences behind Trump’s decisions, offering insight into a presidency that upends diplomatic norms in pursuit of "America First."

Key Discussions and Insights

1. Setting the Scene: The G7 to Singapore (00:31–02:30)

• Mark Landler joins from Singapore, where Trump is set to meet Kim Jong Un.
• The conversation is framed by the "on again, off again" negotiation between Trump and Kim, highlighted by the dramatic exchange of personal letters (02:27).
  • Notable Quote:

    "Trump has written before Kim could break up with him. Trump broke up with Kim."
    — Mark Landler (01:52)

  • Trump describes Kim’s letter as “very warm, a very nice letter” and expresses how personally invested he is in the summit (02:36).

2. Trump "Blows Up" the G7 (03:22–08:45)

• Trump shocks allies by advocating for Russia’s readmission to the G7, thrown out after the annexation of Crimea (03:35–04:38).
  • Notable Quote:

    "Russia should be in this meeting. Why are we having a meeting without Russia being in the meeting?"
    — Donald Trump (03:22)

• Trump arrives late, leaves the session early, and raises tensions further over trade, deeming America “the piggy bank that everybody's robbing” (05:31).
• By summit’s end, a seemingly resolved communique is upended by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s press conference defending retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. (06:54–07:31).
  • Notable Quote:

    "Canadians, we’re polite, we’re reasonable, but we also will not be pushed around."
    — Justin Trudeau (07:11)

• Trump retaliates by removing U.S. endorsement, calling Trudeau "very dishonest and weak" via Twitter (07:47–08:20).
  • Mark Landler emphasizes the unprecedented rift this causes:

    "For the U.S. to stand apart from the other six countries, it’s just an enormous symbolic break... It sort of suggests a level of dissent... that’s really quite unprecedented."
    (08:20)

3. Trump’s View of Alliances and "America First" (08:45–12:08)

• Trump differs from predecessors by seeing allies as "free riders" and is unafraid to publicly rebuke them (09:16).
  • Landler notes the irony: as Trump departs G7 allies, he's headed to meet “arguably the most dangerous adversary that we now have” — Kim Jong Un (10:16).
• Trump’s comments on heading to Singapore:

  "I'll be on a mission of peace... We have to get denuclearization..." (10:16–11:00)

• Barbaro and Landler point out Trump’s pattern: fighting with traditional friends, courting adversaries like North Korea, Russia, and China (11:01–12:08).

4. Preparation and Plans for the North Korea Summit (13:13–19:19)

• Landler describes the scene in Singapore, where both leaders are separated by less than a mile, each ensconced in luxury hotels (13:20–14:22).
• The meeting will take place on Sentosa, a resort island—setting the stage for the first-ever face-to-face between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader (14:28–15:33).
• Trump minimizes formal preparation:
  • Notable Quotes:

    "I think I'm very well prepared. I don't think I have to prepare very much. It's about attitude..." (15:43)
    "This isn’t a question of preparation. It’s a question of whether or not people want it to happen." (15:58)
    "I think within the first minute I'll know... just my touch, my feel, that’s what I do." (16:11 & 16:20)

• Landler emphasizes the improvisational nature of Trump’s diplomacy—“fairly personal, gut level encounter” (16:28).
• The optics are central: the symbolic handshake will lead the meeting, allowing Trump to claim victory regardless of substance (17:36–19:19).
• Trump rebuts critics who call it "just a photo op," stressing it’s the start of a process but reiterates denuclearization is non-negotiable (19:19–20:00).

5. Discrepancy: Embracing Enemies, Alienating Allies (20:00–24:12)

• Barbaro questions Trump’s simultaneous rigidity with allies and flexibility with adversaries (20:00).
• Landler explains this as "America First" in action—Trump seeks short-term, transactional wins over long-term alliance building (20:23–21:30).
  • Notable Analysis:

    "His view of American foreign policy is at heart transactional. He's interested in making immediate gains. He's not interested in ... long term positioning... He's really trying to score one victory at a time."
    — Mark Landler (21:30)

• Barbaro points out this radical approach could mean forsaking old allies for perceived immediate benefit (21:30–21:57).
• Landler warns of long-term costs: damaged alliances, risk of being strung along by adversaries, and the perils of prioritizing short-term gains over strategic relationships (21:57–22:48).
• Yet, Trump’s "disruption" has accomplished what no president before him did—forcing progress with North Korea.
  • Landler offers a nuanced conclusion:

    "So to some extent, you sort of have to withhold judgment and wait and see whether breaking all the rules... actually produces ... an unprecedented outcome. I think it's a long shot ... but I wouldn't exclude it." (23:07)

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Trump’s G7 Disruption:

  "For the US to stand apart from the other six countries, it's just an enormous symbolic break... a rift in the alliance that's really quite unprecedented." – Mark Landler (08:20)

• On Trump’s Transactional Diplomacy:

  "His view of American foreign policy is at heart transactional. He's interested in making immediate gains." – Mark Landler (21:30)

• On the Upcoming Summit:

  "I don't think I have to prepare very much. It's about attitude, it's about willingness to get things done." – Donald Trump (15:43)
  "I think within the first minute I’ll know... just my touch, my feel, that’s what I do." – Donald Trump (16:20)

• On the Irony of Trump’s Approach:

  "The pattern with President Trump has been to pick fights with our friends and to cultivate our adversaries." – Mark Landler (11:20)

Key Timestamps

• 00:31: Episode introduction and framing of Trump’s foreign policy reversal
• 03:22-04:38: Trump proposes re-admitting Russia to the G7, surprising allies
• 05:31: Trump calls US the “piggy bank that everybody’s robbing”
• 06:54: Trudeau’s press conference provokes Trump’s anger
• 07:47: Trump retracts G7 communique endorsement, calls Trudeau “dishonest and weak”
• 08:45: Landler explains the unprecedented nature of this U.S. move
• 10:16: Trump expresses mission of “peace” en route to Singapore
• 13:20: Landler describes summit preparations in Singapore
• 15:43: Trump downplays need for summit preparation
• 17:36: Landler analyzes the diplomatic focus on optics versus substance
• 21:30: Landler unpacks Trump’s “America First” rationale
• 23:07: The uncharted outcome of Trump’s rule-breaking approach

Conclusion

The episode vividly illustrates President Trump’s unique and controversial foreign policy style, marked by antagonizing traditional allies at the G7 and pursuing historic engagement with North Korea. The hosts and guest analyze the risks, motivations, and possible outcomes—acknowledging both the dangers and the potential breakthroughs inherent in Trump’s strategy of shaking up the international order. The world watches, uncertain, as history may be rewritten by unconventional diplomacy.