How to Lose Friends and Screw Up Military Deals: Trump’s Foreign Policy in Action

6 min readMar 2, 2025

Alright, folks, let’s break this down in a way that even the most blissfully ignorant couch potato can understand. Trump’s been running his mouth again, this time treating Zelensky like a used Kleenex, and guess what? It might just cost America some pretty big military deals. That’s right — because when you act like a transactional, unreliable jackass on the world stage, people start shopping elsewhere for their war toys.

1. The “America’s a Used Car Salesman” Effect

See, the thing about U.S. security commitments is they used to be based on something called “trust.” But thanks to Trump’s big, beautiful mouth, America’s allies are starting to realize that Uncle Sam’s handshake isn’t worth a damn anymore. Turns out, nobody wants to buy an overpriced fighter jet from a country that might turn around and tell them to screw off when things get dicey.

India’s Looking at the Exit Sign: The U.S. has been trying to pull India out of Russia’s arms for years — like some kind of geopolitical custody battle. But now? India sees Trump treating Ukraine like yesterday’s leftovers and thinks, “Maybe we don’t want to be stuck with this guy when China starts knocking on our door.” So instead of signing up for the overpriced, overhyped F-35, India might just double down on its own jets or grab a few Su-57s from Russia.
Australia’s Having Buyer’s Remorse: Australia was all in on the AUKUS submarine deal — until Trump reminded them that the U.S. might not actually care about alliances. Now, the Aussies are eyeing their canceled deal with France like an ex who suddenly started hitting the gym. Because, you know, if the U.S. is just gonna ghost them mid-war, maybe a European backup plan ain’t so bad.

2. The China-Russia “We’ll Take That” Strategy

If India and Australia decide that doing business with America is about as smart as putting your retirement savings in scratch-off tickets, guess who wins? That’s right — China and Russia, baby!

China’s Grinning Like a Cheshire Cat

If India backs out of the F-35, China pops the champagne. No stealth jets for their regional rival means Beijing can breathe easier in the Himalayas and the Indian Ocean.
If Australia gets cold feet on AUKUS, it slows down America’s “big, strong, tremendous” anti-China strategy, giving Beijing time to lock down the South China Sea.

Russia’s Fire Sale

Russia sees Trump fumbling these deals and thinks, “Great! More customers for our janky but deadly fighter jets!” They’ll gladly sell India some Su-57s instead of the F-35 and maybe throw in some S-500 missiles for good measure.
And let’s not forget Southeast Asia — countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia might also start thinking, “Hey, maybe we should get our weapons from a country that won’t tweet about us being freeloaders.”

3. America’s Arms Industry Might Have a Problem

Here’s the thing: the U.S. defense industry runs on selling expensive, overcomplicated war machines to its allies. If India and Australia decide to take their business elsewhere, that’s bad news for Lockheed Martin and its stockholders.

The F-35 needs foreign buyers to keep the money train rolling. If India walks away, it’s another sign that America’s newest fighter jet might not be the “must-have” product the Pentagon keeps pretending it is.
If Australia ditches the Virginia-class submarines, it tells every other potential buyer — Japan, South Korea, you name it — that maybe trusting America with your military plans isn’t the smartest move.

And let’s be real — once countries start realizing they don’t HAVE to buy from the U.S., that “Made in America” defense sticker is going to look a lot less appealing.

4. Welcome to the “Figure It Out Yourself” Era

So what happens if Trump’s loud mouth and zero-commitment approach make India and Australia say, “Screw it, we’ll do our own thing”?

India goes all-in on building its own planes and weapons, keeping the U.S. at arm’s length.
Australia focuses on domestic production or finds new defense partners, probably in Europe or Japan.
France, Germany, and the UK step up to fill the gap, making America look less like the world’s top arms dealer and more like a sketchy used car lot.

Final Thoughts: Trump’s Mouth Might Break America’s Military Monopoly

What looks like just another case of Trump being Trump could actually shift global power dynamics in a big way:

India and Australia start second-guessing their U.S. weapons deals and looking for alternatives.
China and Russia rub their hands together like cartoon villains, gaining influence in regions the U.S. used to dominate.
The American defense industry takes a serious hit, and suddenly, Lockheed Martin isn’t making quite as much money off international sales.
The world moves toward a multipolar defense market, where France, Germany, Japan, and South Korea step up while America’s reputation takes a nosedive.

And all because one guy couldn’t keep his ego in check. Hell of a way to run an empire, huh?

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