Story highlights As a candidate, Trump was relentless in assailing a handful of multilateral deals

But since taking office, Trump has shown little inclination to craft agreements or negotiate new deals

(CNN) Like sandcastles and snowmen, international diplomatic deals are difficult and time-consuming to build, but exceptionally easy to smash, topple or abandon.

President Donald Trump's brand, from well before he entered the 2016 presidential race, was that of a builder and dealmaker. But Trump himself has been the brand for decades, slapping his name on hotels and other luxury items around the world.

Since taking office, however, he has shown little inclination to craft agreements or negotiate new deals. A rare compromise with Democratic congressional leaders on a short-term increase in the debt ceiling, which left many Republicans flabbergasted, stands out as his most notable self-made accord.

On the flip side, Trump has proven willing and able to undo the work of his predecessors. Over his nearly nine months in office, the President has canceled negotiations on a major global trade deal, threatened to end two more, withdrawn the US from a global climate plan, and now, with his decision to "decertify" the multilateral Iran pact, imperiled an Obama-era agreement to limit Tehran's nuclear activities, despite the public counsel of his secretary of defense to let it stand.

None of it should come as a surprise. Trump doesn't exactly have a 100% record on his campaign promises, but he was relentless in assailing a handful of multilateral deals, usually with the rationale that they served the interests of other countries before those of the US.