From the ashes of World War II, President Harry Truman presided over the creation of the global institution that defined the international order over the past 80 years.

Truman said in a 1947 speech to Congress: “Support policies to resist armed minorities or external pressures.”

In just a few short years, the United States helped establish and lead the United Nations, NATO, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The United States has helped Europe through the assistance provided by the Marshall program and has also funded the reconstruction of Japan.

Democratic and Republican presidents have supported these institutions for generations. They sometimes complain at a costly cost, but believe they ultimately strengthen the United States as the world's leading superpower.

But 100 days after his second term, Donald Trump actively shrank the role of the United States in the world based on his "America First" agenda. Trump sees this alliance, treaty and soft power network as expensive, outdated artifacts that limit the United States' ability to act decisively on its own.

"I am not aligned with anyone. I am aligned with the interests of the United States of America and the world," Trump said in February.

Trump said the United States should not be a world policeman, nor should it guarantee the safety of its allies. Instead, he attacked many of them and threatened to control territory from Greenland to Canada to the Panama Canal to the Gaza Strip.

"If I had to put it all down, I would say Trump's goal is to get more privileges from the international order while taking less responsibility," said Hal Brands, a historian at the American Enterprise Academy, a conservative Washington think tank.

Trump shrank U.S. global commitments during his first term. In the second semester, he launched more ambitious efforts.

"In the first semester, I'm going to say that the defining character of this foreign policy is chaos. This time he did take a sledgehammer approach to addressing U.S. foreign policy and the institutions around it," said Kelly Grieco of the nonpartisan think tank Stimson Center.

Trump wants to do this in all major ways - military, diplomatic and economic.

Reduce military commitments

In the U.S. military, Trump wants to end our participation in open wars, such as the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

His signature moment so far was a White House meeting two months ago, where Trump and Vice President Vance condemned Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying the Ukrainian president did not show enough gratitude for our aid and overestimated Ukraine’s military capabilities.

"You are in a bad position. You don't have a card right now," Trump told Zelenskyy. "You are gambling the lives of millions. You are gambling in World War III."

The president opposes further military aid for Ukraine and hopes for a permanent ceasefire. But as the battle situation develops, it is elusive, with Russian leader Vladimir Putin launching some of the biggest war air strikes in recent weeks.

"He often underestimates his opponent," Trump said of Trump. "He seems to believe that Vladimir Putin is only satisfied with 20% of Ukraine. As far as Vladimir Putin is concerned, it's a course for appetizer. He wants a meal at a time."

The ceasefire will allow Trump to withdraw some cover in Ukraine, which has no troops in the United States, although it has led international efforts to support the country since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

But if the war continues and Russia makes further gains, Trump may be weak and cannot stand Russia.

This will raise more questions about NATO's future and the US's willingness to defend Europe.

"I think NATO will survive Trump's second presidency," Brandes said. "But I don't think any European country will rely on the United States as it used to be."

Diplomatic negotiations, but no breakthrough

On diplomacy, Trump is pursuing several high-risk deals.

It is still early in his second semester, although he has not achieved significant success so far. Israeli-Hamas ceasefire collapsed when Trump arrived in January.

Talks with Iran on the nuclear agreement.

Kelly Grieco praised diplomatic efforts, but was crucial to Trump's approach. He believes that these complex negotiations can be carried out quickly, with little comment from allies.

“In many ways, he overestimated the power of America,” Grico said. “This led him to take this more bullying approach because he thought America was so powerful that our allies and our opponents had to give way.”

This unilateral diplomatic approach is also evident in Trump's trade policy. His actual or threatening tariffs on nearly every country have destabilized the global economy, which many economists say is also an important factor at home, with the U.S. economy shrunk by 0.3% in the first three months of the year.

Trump believes that the U.S. economic influence will give him leverage to win better conditions with a one-to-one deal. His main goal is China, but his behavior has brought him to rival friendly countries that can help collectively work to isolate China.

"If you want to put pressure on China in many different ways, you're going to want to do it with your allies," Patrick said.

Eighty years after the United States established a modern global order, foreign policy analysts debated how foreign policy analysts should be updated. Discussions often focus on whether the United States is still able and willing to bear the burden since World War II. But Hal Brands said that if the United States abandons the role, no other country can replace it.

"If the U.S. said it would no longer be a global public goods provider, but just take benefits from the system, I don't know how long the system will last," Brandes said.

Trump seems determined to find out.