The Atlantic: All the President’s Flip-Flops

The US president, in office for less than 100 days, has reversed course on multiple campaign promises, as listed by David Graham for the Atlantic. The “most visible reversal” is on Syria – with Donald Trump rejecting foreign intervention in Syria, even after a 2013 chemical attack, before the election and as president ordering missile attacks. Trump’s praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin has vanished as Russia stubbornly supports the brutal Assad regime – this as the FBI and congressional committees investigate Russian intervention in the US election. Trump no longer regards China as a currency manipulator and concedes that China’s ability to end North Korea’s nuclear program is limited. Candidate Trump described NATO as obsolete, but during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the president described the alliance as a “bulwark of international peace” and “no longer obsolete.” He no longer rejects the government-run Export-Import Bank for supporting purchases of US goods, and likewise no longer expresses resentment for low interest rates or Janet Yellen, Federal Reserve chief. The president's stance on climate change and immigration has not changed. Graham describes world leaders schooling the new US president on global perspectives, and concludes, “The learning curve for the president is steep, and as he climbs it, the nation may be treated to even more dizzying reversals.” – YaleGlobal