The targeted reduction in US influence across the globe, does seem intentional. This is not specific to Trump.
What is gained by reducing a US influence/footprint? The resources used to maintain that footprint. Why? To focus them, which increases impact and minimizes vulnerabilities.
Having a Navy that patrols the worldwide seas is less useful when you want to devalue imports. Having a Navy that patrols the worldwide seas is vulnerable to drones and other techniques that effectively counter the protection smaller groups of ships can provide. This also reduces the expectation that the US might get involved in a conflict, if less US assets are visiting every corner of the seas.
Now you need less small ships to be made and can aggregate these assets in potentially hotspot conflict areas. An opponent can't disrupt shipping if the US has prematurely done it to themselves (and the world).
Removing the US from NATO reduces the chance of a long range exchange that the US will have to participate in, to the detriment of its own resources (missiles, air power, ships, manpower, etc).
This all leads to indicators of a large scale conflict being planned, decades out.
I suspect Trump is hamfistedly enacting policies based on some grand long term plan that he is directed to participate in. As usual, he's making a mess, to get as much done as possible. Why? To take credit ofc.
Edit: This is a thought experiment, not some sort of factual accounting. If you have a better idea other than "duhr Trump is dumb", share it.
China or Russia or Middle Eastern interests (kicked off by Iran/Israel or whoever) or maybe even some other entity that will form from revolution. There are a large number of threats and nothing has seemed to slow the growth of potential danger zones.
There was a congressman somewhere around 20 years ago who investigated military waste and was on youtube a lot. When he turned to a reporter and said he was going after the Fed next, he resigned in about 10 days citing his family's best interests.
Trump wanted to force the Fed to cut rates during his first term and he wants to now, but he can't "for some reason". I think the continued independence of the Fed speaks to an invisible hand. I don't know how it works, only that this hand controls a quadrillion dollar economies and doesn't care about POTUS whims.
Yes it's conspiracy-theory land, but this is something I consider when contextualizing world events.
No, the continued independence of the Fed is one thing that has stayed sane in all the current insanity.
Do you really want Congress directly controlling the interest rate? Do you want Trump doing it? Do you think that's going to have a better outcome than an independent Fed?
I think it would have a massively worse outcome. Congress is allowing Trump to set tariffs at his personal whim, and it seems to be really just at his whim. That's bad enough to have international trade yanked around like that; I don't want interest rates to directly yank around the domestic economy in the same way.
What is gained by reducing a US influence/footprint? The resources used to maintain that footprint. Why? To focus them, which increases impact and minimizes vulnerabilities.
Having a Navy that patrols the worldwide seas is less useful when you want to devalue imports. Having a Navy that patrols the worldwide seas is vulnerable to drones and other techniques that effectively counter the protection smaller groups of ships can provide. This also reduces the expectation that the US might get involved in a conflict, if less US assets are visiting every corner of the seas.
Now you need less small ships to be made and can aggregate these assets in potentially hotspot conflict areas. An opponent can't disrupt shipping if the US has prematurely done it to themselves (and the world).
Removing the US from NATO reduces the chance of a long range exchange that the US will have to participate in, to the detriment of its own resources (missiles, air power, ships, manpower, etc).
This all leads to indicators of a large scale conflict being planned, decades out.
I suspect Trump is hamfistedly enacting policies based on some grand long term plan that he is directed to participate in. As usual, he's making a mess, to get as much done as possible. Why? To take credit ofc.
Edit: This is a thought experiment, not some sort of factual accounting. If you have a better idea other than "duhr Trump is dumb", share it.