President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was the result of a clear Trump formula for major foreign policy decisions: keep a campaign promise; make it look like a bold change that breaks with conventional wisdom; disregard the negative consequences abroad; and avoid substantive policy changes that might cause serious trouble at home.
This is the Trump foreign policy reality show, and the damage it inflicts on the United States and the world is real. But it is important not to underestimate how good it looks on TV and how easily Trump can get away with it because of how intangible foreign policy often feels to the American people.