The BRICS TimesRahm Emanuel, former US ambassador, criticized Trump’s trade and tariff actions. He argued these steps severely weakened years of work to counter Beijing’s growing influence.
An American politician recently serving as the US ambassador to Japan strongly criticized President Donald Trump. He slammed Trump’s trade and tariff policies regarding Asia. The diplomat called Trump’s closeness to Pakistan a “major strategic blunder.” He cited a deal with the Pakistan Crypto Council. This firm reportedly involves stakes held by Trump’s son.
Rahm Israel Emanuel is an American politician and diplomat. He was the United States ambassador to Japan from 2022 to 2025. Speaking on a MediasTouch podcast, Emanuel sharply criticized Trump’s trade policies in Asia. He said they undermined decades of US strategic planning. This planning was meant to strengthen regional partnerships against China.
The former diplomat noted Asian leaders were often cautious with Trump. They were unsure how to successfully navigate the meetings. Rahm Emanuel stated, “They’re sitting there and part of their calculation is how not to be on the wrong side of Donald Trump and get out of this meeting with some wins, with least amount of embarrassment or danger in this area,” in the podcast.
He explained that during his ambassadorship, US diplomats worked to “reverse the playbook on China.” They did this by uniting regional allies. Beijing had actively tried to isolate these nations.
“China tries to isolate Japan, a Korea, a Philippines, or Australia, where they used economic coercion. By bringing everybody together through India, Australia, Japan, the United States in the Quad, United States, Japan, Japan, Korea, in the Trilat, the same thing with the Philippines – we isolated the isolator, and China felt it, which is why they complained,” he said.
Ego and Alleged Pakistan Funds Ended Strategic Framework
The strategic framework mentioned above began to fall apart under Trump. The diplomat mentioned this framework. “We haven’t even touched, we’re talking about Japan and Korea,” he said. He further stated that the Trump administration “mismanaged India.” India is a “major” counterweight against China.
He added, “Our mismanagement of India, a major, major counterweight against China… the President of the United States has literally thrown away 40 years of meticulous strategic planning and preparation,” he asserted.
The former ambassador claimed the breakdown with Prime Minister Narendra Modi stemmed from ego. Trump allegedly “threw it all away because Modi would not say that the President deserves a Nobel Prize for the ceasefire that he worked out.”
The diplomat then alleged financial impropriety connected to Pakistan. “The President, out of ego and then out of money from Pakistan that was paying both his son and Witkoff’s son. This is a major strategic blunder that China has used to their advantage,” he claimed. He framed this as a turning point that benefited Beijing greatly.
This was a clear reference to Zach Witkoff. He co-founded a firm that signed a deal in April 2025. The deal was with the Pakistan Crypto Council. Its purpose was advancing digital financial transactions. Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Jared Kushner reportedly hold stakes in this company.
On the economic front, he criticized Trump’s tariffs on US allies. He said this ignored important strategic realities. Emanuel stated, “The United States is tariffing and putting tariffs on our allies without thinking through all the equities on defense spending, political alignment of our strategic interests vis-a-vis China, and then our economic integration, which is going to require friends and allies working together with the United States.”
Emanuel did acknowledge Trump’s chaotic style sometimes worked, citing Gaza. However, the diplomat warned that same unpredictability was damaging in Asia. “That chaotic process worked in the final days here in Gaza… That chaotic process is now a detriment. That same tactic is a detriment in confronting China,” he concluded.
