Donald Trump came to the presidency without any prior experience in government or the military — a first in U.S. history. Critics argued that this was a dangerous hole in Trump’s resume, but defenders claimed his business experience would more than compensate.

Trump, they claimed, would be a transactional president, skillfully negotiating his way to better deals that had eluded his less business-savvy predecessors.

Almost six months into office, dealmaker-in-chief hasn’t proven to be much of a winner. Meetings between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto at the G-20 summit last week, for instance, are a stark reminder that in several key areas Trump has given away valuable U.S. assets and is failing to deliver on deals he promised.

Consider:

1. North Korea: In January, as news broke that North Korea was developing an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States, Trump tweeted “It won’t happen!” Trump suggested he would bring leverage to bear by enlisting China’s help. In April, he floated the idea that China could get a better trade deal with the U.S. if it “solve[d] the North Korea problem.” If China didn’t act, Trump said, the U.S. would “solve the problem without them.”

North Korea evidently has tested a missile capable of reaching Alaska. Trump has been reduced to hoping (again, on Twitter) that China will “put a heavy move on North Korea.”

That seems unlikely. Trump’s dealmaking approach assumed that China could and would take action to stop North Korea if the price was right. But he overlooked problems that might not be solvable through any deal: the central action China could take to pressure North Korea — cutting off trade — could be highly dangerous for China. A failed North Korean state would mean refugees pouring into China and a unified Korea with U.S. troops at China’s border. No trade deal with the U.S., however sweet, could make up for that.

Will Putin help Trump on North Korea?

At this point, there doesn’t seem to be any way the Trump administration can undo what North Korea accomplished. Experts counsel that the best of the bad options available is for the U.S. to negotiate with Kim Jong-Un while accepting that North Korea “is a nuclear-weapons state that can target the United States.” Trump’s boasting so far has failed to deliver.

Read:This is why China won’t use its leverage over North Korea

2. U.S. alliances: Since World War II the U.S. has built and strengthened important and enduring relationships with allies in Europe and elsewhere. These allies have been close trading partners who also shared valuable intelligence and could be counted on to help the U.S. in a time of crisis — for instance, after 9/11.



Trump has systematically damaged or complicated relations with several key U.S. allies, including Germany and France. Angela Merkel’s governing party in Germany no longer describes the U.S. as a friend, and Merkel publicly suggested that Europe can no longer rely on the United States. French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, has compared Trump to dictators and invited American scientists to regard France as a refuge for their work.



This is an example of Trump giving away an asset. American alliances have value. Trump has damaged some of the most important ones, while gaining nothing in return.

3. Russia: Here as well, Trump has established a pattern of giving something for nothing. He has taken or attempted to take a number of steps that advance Putin’s agenda, including: (1) undermining NATO, (2) repeating the Kremlin lie that Russia is not to blame for interference in the 2016 U.S. election, and (3) trying to undo sanctions the Obama administration placed on Russia.

Trump’s meeting with Putin last Friday is itself a gift that helps legitimize the Russian leader and in fact might bring rewards for Russia. Trump, bizarrely, suggested after this meeting that the U.S. and Russia could form a cybersecurity partnership. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Trump’s proposal was “not the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard, but it’s pretty close.” Former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul remarked of Trump’s interactions with Russia that “Putin is happy to accept our concessions without giving anything in return.”

4. Middle East peace: Trump promised to broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians, declaring “we will get this done.” But there is no indication yet that Trump or son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has been tasked with making this happen, are bringing anything new to the table. Reporting on Kushner’s trip to the region last month suggests “[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu played Kushner like a fiddle,” while Palestinian leaders were “greatly disappointed in Kushner [and an aide] serving as go-betweens for Netanyahu.”

5. Mexico: Trump made forcing Mexico to pay for a border wall a centerpiece of his campaign. But Mexico has said no, not surprisingly, and Trump is now asking Congress for money to pay for the wall, even as Trump has continued to insist (contrary to all evidence) that Mexico will ultimately foot the bill.

This is how Trump’s “business presidency” model is playing out internationally, and the results are not promising. (Nothing on the domestic front balances this out: major legislation is stalled and Trump seems to be a spectator of his own presidency.)

Perhaps Trump will turn things around, but what’s more likely is that the promise of a transactional presidency delivering wins for the United States is just a mirage.

Chris Edelson is an assistant professor of government in American University’s School of Public Affairs. His latest book, Power Without Constraint: The Post 9/11 Presidency and National Security, was published in May 2016 by the University of Wisconsin Press.