Trump keeps making threats. Washington and the world have stopped flinching.

Trump keeps making threats. Washington and the world have stopped flinching. - The Washington Post

Accessibility statement

Democracy Dies in Darkness

Save and subscribe

Sign in

Democracy Dies in Darkness

WorldEuropeAfricaAmericasAsiaMiddle East

WorldEuropeAfricaAmericasAsiaMiddle East

Trump keeps making threats. The world has stopped flinching.

The president’s bombast has ceased to rattle world leaders, who have seen him fenced in by courts, rebuffed by Congress and strung along by Iran.

August 4, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. EDT

Today at 5:00 a.m. EDT

11 min

*President Donald Trump during the Group of Seven summit in June in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)*

By

Steve Hendrix

and

Anthony Faiola

LONDON — When President Donald Trump strode into the Rose Garden in April 2025 brandishing a poster board of tariff hikes, the world leaped as if a fire alarm had gone off. Markets shed trillions of dollars, envoys rushed to Washington, more than 75 governments scrambled to negotiate, some scrapping carefully prepped countermeasures in a rush to cut deals.

---

What readers are saying

The comments express strong criticism of Donald Trump, portraying him as a divisive and ineffective leader who is isolated on the world stage. Many commenters describe him as a bully, lacking in leadership qualities, and damaging to both domestic and international relations.... Show more

This summary is AI-generated. AI can make mistakes and this summary is not a replacement for reading the comments.

* Catherine Belton and Natalia Abbakumova Boris Nadezhdin, anti-war candidate in Russia, flees to France August 3, 2026
* Dalila Olmo López , Anthony Faiola and Mohamad El Chamaa Spain pushes migrants back to Morocco as suspicions swirl over mass border breach August 1, 2026
* Catherine Belton Russia closes window for dissent as Ukraine’s attacks stir public dismay July 28, 2026
* Anthony Faiola and Imogen Piper Migrants overrun a Spanish outpost, stirring European outrage July 31, 2026
* Serhii Korolchuk , Catherine Belton , David Stern and Joshua Yang Zelensky ousts Ukraine’s military commander as major shake-up continues July 21, 2026
* David Stern , Kostiantyn Khudov , Serhii Korolchuk and Serhiy Morgunov Zelensky says Ukraine has ‘no interceptors’ as ballistic missiles hit Kyiv August 1, 2026

Newsletter

Weekdays

The 7

Catch up quickly with a rundown of the 7 most important and interesting stories.

Company

* About The Post
* Newsroom Policies & Standards
* WP Creative Group
* Workforce Demographics Report
* Careers
* Media & Community Relations
* Accessibility Statement

Sections

* Trending
* Politics
* Elections
* Opinions
* National
* World
* Style
* Sports
* Business
* Climate
* Well+Being
* D.C., Md., & Va.
* Obituaries
* Weather
* Arts & Entertainment
* Recipes

Get The Post

* WP Intelligence
* Enterprise Subscriptions
* Manage Your Subscription
* Become a Subscriber
* Gift Subscriptions
* Mobile & Apps
* Newsletters & Alerts
* Washington Post Live
* Reprints & Permissions
* Post Store
* Books & E-Books
* Print Archives (Subscribers Only)
* Today’s Paper
* Public Notices

Contact Us

* Contact the Newsroom
* Contact Customer Care
* Contact the Opinions Team
* Advertise
* Licensing & Syndication
* Request a Correction
* Send a News Tip
* Report a Vulnerability

Terms of Use

* Digital Products Terms of Sale
* Print Products Terms of Sale
* Terms of Service
* Privacy Policy
* Cookie Settings
* Submissions & Discussion Policy
* RSS Terms of Service
* Sitemap
* Ad Choices
* CA Notice of Collection
* Your Privacy Choices

washingtonpost.com © 1996-2026 The Washington Post

* WP Intelligence
* Ask The Post AI
* WP Creative Group
* Workforce Demographics Report
* Careers
* Media & Community Relations
* Accessibility Statement

* Trending
* Politics
* Elections
* Opinions
* National
* World
* Style
* Sports
* Business
* Climate
* Well+Being
* D.C., Md., & Va.
* Obituaries
* Weather
* Arts & Entertainment
* Recipes

* WP Intelligence
* Enterprise Subscriptions
* Manage Your Subscription
* Become a Subscriber
* Gift Subscriptions
* Mobile & Apps
* Newsletters & Alerts
* Washington Post Live
* Reprints & Permissions
* Post Store
* Books & E-Books
* Print Archives (Subscribers Only)
* Today’s Paper
* Public Notices

* Contact the Newsroom
* Contact Customer Care
* Contact the Opinions Team
* Advertise
* Licensing & Syndication
* Request a Correction
* Send a News Tip
* Report a Vulnerability
* Download the Washington Post App

* About The Post
* Policies & Standards
* Digital Products Terms of Sale
* Print Products Terms of Sale
* Terms of Service
* Privacy Policy
* Cookie Settings
* Submissions & Discussion Policy
* RSS Terms of Service
* Sitemap
* Ad Choices
* CA Notice of Collection
* Your Privacy Choices

* washingtonpost.com
* © 1996-2026 The Washington Post

5.57.9

!pixel