Reviews of U.S. President Donald Trump's five-country trip to Asia were glowing — at least if the reviewer was the president himself. Speaking to media on the flight home, Trump crowed, "We made a lot of progress just in terms of relationship," adding, "China has been excellent. Japan and South Korea have been excellent." He concluded that "it was red carpet like nobody, I think, has probably every received. And that really is a sign of respect, perhaps for me a little bit, but really for our country."
More objective observers note the president's susceptibility to flattery, the cozying up to authoritarian leaders and his refusal to trouble those relationships with any mention of human rights, and the absence of any reference to U.S. leadership during the tour. Despite the adoption and use of a (supposedly) new framework for the region — the "Indo-Pacific" — there is little sign of a strategy that guides its use.
The first half of the tour went well. Trump had good meetings in Japan and sent all the right signals about commitment of the United States to the alliance, his relationship with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and issues of concern to Japan such as the fate of the Japanese kidnapped by North Korea. While calling for a more balanced trade relationship between our two countries, the president did not push the rumored demand for a bilateral trade agreement or warn of unilateral sanctions. When Trump left, officials in both countries could believe that the two countries were closely aligned and marching in sync (on most issues).