A prominent international security conference issued a scathing report this month accusing President Donald Trump’s foreign policies of causing “sweeping destruction.”
In a foreword for the Munich Security Report 2026, Munich Security Conference (MSC) Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger wrote that the Trump administration’s agenda prompted them to “address the elephant in the room head-on.”
“Ironically, the president of the country that did more than any other to shape, sustain, and defend the post-1945 international order is now at the forefront of dismantling it,” the report read.
In another passage within Chapter 1 of the wide-ranging report, MSC officials wrote that Trump has designed U.S. foreign policy to prioritize his personal interests.
“With fewer guardrails, a more experienced and ideologically aligned team, and a clearer determination to act on his convictions, Trump now believes he holds a mandate not only to remake the United States at home but also to redefine its role in the world according to a narrow, and often quite personal, interpretation of the national interest,” the report reads.
The report was severely critical of Trump’s global tariffs, saying that he is “using tariffs as a coercive instrument, pressuring governments to sign lopsided trade deals and change domestic policies.”
“Examples include the 50-percent tariff on Brazil in response to the prosecution of former Brazilian President Bolsonaro, tariff threats against Canada after Ottawa’s recognition of Palestinian statehood, and pressure on the EU over its tech regulations,” the report reads. “In early 2026, Trump announced tariffs on eight European countries opposed to his ambition of ‘purchasing’ Greenland.”
Supreme Court strikes down Trump tariffs
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Trump’s tariffs on Friday, dealing a significant blow to the centerpiece of his administration’s economic agenda.
The 6–3 decision limits what trade policies a president can enact without congressional approval, effectively blocking Trump’s unilateral tariff authority.
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision, the European Commission urged the U.S. to provide “full clarity” and uphold its trade commitments.
The Commission, which operates as the executive arm of the European Union, said the uncertainty threatens “fair, balanced and mutually beneficial” trans-Atlantic trade, as outlined in the August 2025 EU-U.S. joint statement.
Trump has railed against the high court’s decision and moved Saturday to impose a new 15% global tariff rate, up from the 10% rate he announced Friday. Those tariffs are limited to 150 days unless they are extended by Congress.
Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee, told POLITICO that Trump’s imposition of a 15% global tariff is “a clear breach of the deal we had agreed.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
