And during his two administrations, Trump’s power and influence have never been more apparent than when he casts a long shadow over the other world leaders he meets.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will soon join a long line of over 20 leaders who have met with Trump during his second time in the Oval Office.
It is difficult to predict how the long-awaited formal meeting – of which the PM was held to scrutiny and some condemnation for not landing until now – will go.
Quiet tension has been brewing between Canberra and Washington for some time following the tariffs imposed on Australia and lingering questions over the AUKUS deal.
If history is to teach us anything, Trump is not afraid to say what he thinks.
Zelenskyy’s car crash meeting with Trump and Vance
One possible outcome is that Albanese will face the same tough critique handed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February this year.
The tense bilateral meeting, which was broadcast live in Washington, saw Trump and Vice President JD Vance berate the president and order him to be grateful for US intervention.
“You right now are not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position,” Trump told Zelenskyy.
“You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having the cards.”
Both Vance and Trump also admonished Zelenskyy for not being thankful enough.
“Just say thank you,” the vice president said.
“You’re not acting at all thankful,” Trump added.
“And that’s not a nice thing. I’ll be honest, that’s not a nice thing.”
Zelenskyy later admitted the meeting with Trump “did not go the way it was supposed to be”.
But he extended an olive branch nonetheless.
“Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians,” he added.
“My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.”
Trump and Putin’s tumultuous relationship
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have met face-to-face several times – but only once so far during the US president’s second term.
The pair met last in August in Alaska for a four-hour summit on Ukraine.
Trump had been frank that he wanted the outcome of the long meeting to be a ceasefire.
This time, it was Trump who admitted the summit didn’t go as planned.
“We didn’t get there,” he told reporters after the meeting.
It also ended abruptly – without the long media post-mortem we have come to expect from the US president.
The relationship between the historic rivals has never been straightforward.
Trump said he was not “happy” with Putin in July this year.
“I can tell you that much right now, because he’s killing a lot of people,” he said.
Trump also told reporters he was candid with the Russian president during a phone call about Iran back in June.
“He (Vladimir Putin) said, ‘Can I help you with Iran?'” he recalled.
“I said, ‘No, I don’t need help with Iran. I need help with you.'”
He again voiced disappointment with Putin during a visit to the UK when asked about his role in a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
“I thought it would be easiest because of my relationship with President Putin, but he’s let me down,” Trump said.
“He’s really let me down.”
Trump and Putin are expected to meet again in Hungary soon for more Ukraine talks.
A productive meeting with Starmer
A September meeting between Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer passed by largely without any scandal or incident.
The pair met in Britain during Trump’s state visit and spoke about various issues, including trade, defence and technology.
“We’ve discussed today how we can build our defences, further support Ukraine, and decisively increase the pressure on Putin to get him to agree to a peace deal that will last,” Starmer told reporters.
But one sticking point drove a small wedge between the leaders.
Trump said he disagreed with Starmer’s stance on recognising Palestine, but acknowledged it was one of their “few disagreements”.
Trump’s confronting video for Cyril Ramaphosa
Trump’s meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa spiralled into an unexpected place after the president confronted him with claims of genocide against white farmers – claims that have been vehemently denied by the South African government, as well as the country’s courts.
During their sit-down, Trump dimmed the lights of the Oval Office to play a video of a far-left politician chanting a song that includes the lyrics “kill the farmer”.
He claimed South Africa’s white farmers have faced “death, death, death, horrible death”.
“People are fleeing South Africa for their own safety,” Trump said.
Ramaphosa pushed back against Trump’s accusations and said he was “completely opposed” to Trump’s behaviour.
“Our government policy is completely, completely against what he was saying,” he said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio later said Trump was ready to “reset” relations with South Africa, but noted that the administration’s concerns about South African policies cut even deeper than the concerns about white farmers.
A long handshake with Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron and Trump’s recent meeting made headlines over one small detail – the unexpected vibe of their handshake.
The pair discussed Ukraine, European security and trade during their sitdown last month, with Macron gently but firmly challenging the US president on his handling of Putin and the ongoing tariff war.
Their 27-second-long handshake in front of reporters, though, seemed to reflect a respectful camaraderie between the leaders.
