A Government of Threat Letters - How Trump Turned Diplomacy into a One-Man Show

It wasn’t an exchange of polite niceties, no diplomatic feelers—this was a letter. Capital letters, tariffs, threats. Donald Trump has brought several world leaders into line with his new approach: “A letter means a deal.” No State Department in between. Just Trump, his letterhead, and tariffs—up to 50 percent against Brazil, 35 percent against Canada, 30 percent against the EU and Mexico. The content: formal, personalized, and surprisingly emotional. Canada and Brazil felt the signature style of an offended populist—personally motivated in Brazil’s case. This isn’t diplomacy. Diplomacy sounds different, with better grammar and fewer mistakes. The economic fallout is real: supply chains are buckling, consumers are paying the price. Thirty-percent tariffs on EU imports are rattling markets, fifty percent on Brazilian products are driving up even basic food costs. And in the US? Retailers pay first—and then pass the cost on to their customers.

The reactions: patience in Ottawa, provocation in Brasília. President Lula has announced reciprocal tariffs - and wants to send Trump's letter back if necessary. In the US, resistance is growing. Bipartisan congressional heavyweights like Tillis and Shaheen criticize the 50-day window for sanctions against Russia - they say it is "too long" and gives Putin room for military gains. There is also criticism of the plan to expand Texas by five additional GOP-friendly congressional districts - accusations of gerrymandering are flying. But external conflicts hardly resemble classic foreign policy anymore: in the White House, the Department of Education is now being effectively dismantled. After a Supreme Court ruling, Secretary Linda McMahon is shifting core programs to the Department of Labor - a quiet disassembly. Paradoxically, state education is being systematically expanded, while at the same time its core is being gutted.

Arms deliveries to Ukraine are also being secured indirectly: Trump announced that NATO countries would supply munitions from US stockpiles - and then buy replacements from US factories. NATO Secretary-General Rutte confirmed that the package was being worked out, but emphasized that it was a long-term process. Designated UN Ambassador Mike Waltz wants not only to defund UNRWA but to dismantle it completely. The reason: alleged antisemitism and ties to Hamas - without substantial evidence. At the same time, Waltz complains about the "ballooning" of UN bureaucracy and calls for comprehensive reforms. What becomes visible here is a new understanding of power that rejects multilateral cooperation. The UN is seen as superfluous, diplomacy as the negotiating power of the written word - or rather, the waving of the tariff dispute club. Culture of conversation? Absent. Dialogue? Only by letter. Coupled with the restructuring of central domestic agencies and the indirect arms strategy, a clear picture emerges: Trump is shaping America according to a logic of power calculus - not of international order. And where there is no echo, he amplifies the tone of provocation - to Brussels, Beijing, Brasília, or New Delhi.