President Donald Trump’s greatest enemy may not be the Democrats, the progressive Left, or the hostile media. It may be Trump.
Shakespeare warned us more than four centuries ago: “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.” Trump would be wise to remember those words as he considers how history will judge his presidency.
I voted for Trump three times, and I have no regrets about doing so. I strongly support many of his policies and believe he has accomplished much that deserves recognition. But even those of us who support his policies should be willing to say when he is hurting his own cause.
And lately, Trump too often seems determined to snatch controversy from the jaws of accomplishment.
I frequently find myself having to apologize for what I jokingly call his “alligator mouth biting his hummingbird ass.” It is crude, perhaps, but it captures the problem perfectly. Trump can achieve something politically significant one day and then, with a few unnecessary words, ensure that the controversy rather than the accomplishment dominates the conversation.
Why? What political purpose is served by talking about Canada as the “51st state,” renaming geographic landmarks, or attaching his own name to prominent American institutions? How do these things advance the policies Americans elected him to pursue? They don’t.
Instead, they provide ammunition to his opponents, frustrate some of his supporters, and alienate Americans who might otherwise agree with him on the border, the economy, national defense, energy, government spending, or any number of other issues.
That matters because elections are not won solely by appealing to people who already support you. You must be a leader for the entire nation. But the damage does not stop at America’s shores.
A president of the United States is not merely speaking to Republicans, Democrats, or the American electorate. Every presidential statement is heard in Ottawa, London, Brussels, Tokyo, Canberra, and throughout the world. Friends and adversaries alike listen carefully, because America’s words have consequences.
That is why Trump’s unnecessary antagonism toward longtime allies concerns me. There is a legitimate case for demanding that NATO members carry a greater share of the burden for their own defense, for insisting on fairer trade arrangements, and for putting American interests first. But there is a difference between driving a hard bargain with an ally and publicly humiliating or threatening that ally.
Canada is perhaps the clearest example. Americans and Canadians have fought alongside one another, traded with one another, defended the same continent, and built one of the closest bilateral relationships in modern history. Repeatedly referring to Canada as America’s “51st state” may amuse some supporters, but it also risks turning legitimate policy disagreements into resentment toward the U.S. itself.
The same principle applies to Europe and other long-standing American partners. Alliances are not acts of charity. They are instruments of national power. America is stronger when dependable allies are willing to share intelligence, provide bases and overflight rights, contribute forces, support sanctions, cooperate economically, and stand beside us when international crises erupt.
There is evidence that this reservoir of goodwill is being depleted. A 2026 Pew Research Center survey of more than 42,000 people in 36 countries found a median of only 23% expressing confidence in Trump’s leadership of world affairs. Favorable views of the U.S. had also declined in many countries. Those numbers should concern every American, regardless of political affiliation.
The consequences are no longer merely theoretical. Canada has been exploring closer strategic and economic cooperation with Europe as tensions with Washington have increased. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently argued for stronger Canada-European cooperation in defense, energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, and trade.
To be fair, Trump’s confrontational approach can produce results. His pressure on Greenland, for example, was followed by a September 2026 agreement among the U.S., Denmark, and Greenland expanding America’s military presence there while respecting Greenland’s role and self-determination. The issue, therefore, is not whether Trump should negotiate aggressively. American presidents are supposed to advance American interests.
The question is whether every confrontation is necessary — and whether short-term leverage is worth long-term damage to trust.
After spending much of my Marine Corps career working with allies and coalition forces, I learned that trust and confidence are combat power. They can take decades to build and remarkably little time to squander. When a crisis comes, America needs more than just aircraft carriers, fighter aircraft, missiles, and economic power. It needs nations willing to stand beside us because they believe the U.S. will stand beside them.
Trump should remember that “America First” does not have to mean America alone.
A strong president can demand more from our allies without treating them as adversaries. He can negotiate hard without making friendship with the U.S. appear temporary or transactional. And he can remind the world that Americans’ strength has always rested not only upon the enemies we can defeat, but upon the friends we can depend upon.
As I traveled thousands of miles across America this summer, I was once again struck by the extraordinary beauty and magnificence of our country. But I was equally struck by the cultural gulf separating much of America’s heartland from its major cities.
In rural America, I encountered people who treasure independence, personal responsibility, freedom, and self-sufficiency. Trump understands these Americans, and many believe he understands them better than the political establishment ever has.
But understanding one America while unnecessarily antagonizing another is not a formula for national unity.
America cannot prosper indefinitely as two increasingly hostile camps glaring at each other across a political battlefield. We can disagree passionately without treating fellow Americans as enemies.
There is also a practical political danger. Every unnecessary controversy risks distracting voters from Trump’s policy agenda and could affect Republican support in the midterm elections. A shift in control of Congress would dramatically alter the political environment in which his administration must operate.
Trump, therefore, needs to recognize something every successful leader eventually learns: you do not have to tell people how great you are.
Let others do it. Let your supporters make the case. Let your accomplishments make the case. And ultimately, let history make the case.
Self-aggrandizement does not make a strong leader stronger. It gives opponents an easy target and forces supporters to defend behavior that has nothing to do with the policies they elected him to implement.
Trump has an opportunity to leave a consequential presidential legacy. Whether Americans ultimately view that legacy favorably or unfavorably will depend not only on what he accomplishes but also on whether his rhetoric overshadows those accomplishments.
My advice to him is simple: Mr. President, stop stepping on your own victories.
America needs effective leadership more than it needs another political controversy. It needs less “us versus them” and more recognition that, regardless of party, geography, or ideology, we remain one nation.
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Right now, Trump is the Democrats’ best asset in winning the midterm election!
Let others sing your praises. Do the job. Deliver the results. And give history the opportunity to remember the accomplishments rather than the noise.
Tom Williams is a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel with 28 years of active-duty service, including two tours in Vietnam, evacuation of Americans from Beirut in 1976, and the liberation of Kuwait in 1990-91, followed by 11 years of contract training and mentoring in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. He is the author of the Heart of a Marine book series.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
