Since January 20, 2025, the second Trump administration’s foreign policy has driven global chaos and corruption, while undermining American allies, costing American taxpayers, and strengthening America’s adversaries. The Center for American Progress’ Trump Global Weakness Watch tracker is more than a catalog of concerning decisions—it is a strategic initiative to expose how Donald Trump’s second-term agenda is accelerating the breakdown of American power. The tracker shows a clear pattern: The Trump administration’s decisions about security, economy, and global influence make America weak, and Americans bear the consequences.
The Trump Global Weakness Watch tracker is a tool for accountability, but also for transformation. At a time when the Trump administration is engaged in a concerted effort to revise history at every turn, the tracker creates a documentary record that exposes the cracks in the “America First” foreign policy.
The Trump administration is weakening America’s military and security
The Trump administration’s politicization of the military—firing experienced leaders, deploying troops to American cities, and attacking those who serve—turns America’s national defense into spectacle. These moves do not make Americans safer. They distract from real threats and hurt those who protect Americans.
The Trump administration is weakening America’s economic power
The Trump administration’s manipulation of economic institutions and its trade wars worsen an economy that already disproportionately benefits the ultrawealthy. By undermining transparency, stability, and affordability, the administration makes it harder for working families to thrive. Its policies gut innovation, raise costs, and erode trust in the systems that should be building shared prosperity.
The Trump administration is weakening diplomatic power and global influence
The Trump administration’s foreign policy prizes loyalty over expertise, sidelining experienced diplomats in favor of elevating unqualified appointees and politicizing foreign policy and national security institutions that typically represent the interests of the American people, not the party in power. The administration has broken trust with America’s allies and partners, significantly weakening America’s ability to pursue key interests abroad. It has gutted the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and withdrawn the United States from key multilateral organizations. These moves do not benefit the American people, but leave America isolated as global threats are on the rise.
The Trump administration is strengthening America’s adversaries
As Trump retreats from global leadership, such as China and Russia have stepped in—not because they are stronger, but because the United States is leaving a vacuum. By cutting foreign assistance, dismantling USAID, and attacking multilateral institutions, Trump abandons potential allies worldwide—and the Americans who benefit from smart trade policies, global stability, and climate cooperation.
Why this matters now
Nearly every day of the second term, the Trump administration is making strategic choices that undermine U.S. power and create a more chaotic world. By systematically documenting these trends, the Trump Global Weakness Watch tracker empowers policymakers, advocates, and the public to understand the stakes and mobilize against this sharp erosion of American power.
This initiative is essential to uphold the integrity of U.S. institutions, safeguard democratic values, and restore America’s role as a global leader. It is a warning to reverse the damage and reimagine strength across military, economic, and diplomatic domains.