Focus: Allied countries are working behind the scenes to prepare for “Trump 2.0” | Reuters

BERLIN/MEXICO CITY/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In preparation for former U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to power in November’s election, allies are taking steps to protect or advance their interests. .

This is to avoid a repeat of the previous administration’s “America First” policy, which included trade wars, a review of security alliances, a crackdown on immigration, and a withdrawal from climate change agreements.

Reuters spoke to diplomats and government officials from five continents about preparing for Trump 2.0.

Some leaders have reached out directly to Trump at the risk of angering President Biden. According to sources, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed recently spoke with Trump by phone. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Polish President Duda met with Trump in the past few weeks.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron also met with Trump at his vacation home in Florida this month. The foreign minister later told reporters in Washington that the meeting, which was a private dinner, included discussions about Ukraine, Gaza and the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Trump’s campaign said he discussed national security issues with European leaders. President Duda reportedly proposed that NATO member states allocate at least 3% of their gross domestic product (GDP) to defense spending. The current target for member states is 2%.

Jeremi Souri, a presidential historian at the University of Texas, said meetings between presidential candidates and diplomats are normal, but Trump’s meeting with the Hungarian prime minister and phone call with the Saudi crown prince were unusual. He said he thought so.

“These meetings and calls with world leaders remind us of what is obvious to us in the United States: Joe Biden is weak and Trump is weak,” said Brian Hughes, a Trump adviser. “If he becomes the 47th president of the United States, the world will be safer and America will be more prosperous.”

“America’s allies look forward to President Trump’s re-election,” said Carolyn Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump’s campaign.

Most countries’ approaches are not direct, such as a meeting between their leaders and Mr. Trump.

Germany is building relationships with Trump’s Republican base at the state level and highlighting the country’s large investments in U.S. industry.

Germany is making adjustments, bearing in mind that Trump threatened to impose punitive tariffs on Germany’s auto industry during his presidency and now intends to impose tariffs of at least 10% on all imports. He is trying to use his role to prepare for Trump 2.0.

Coordinator Michael Link is leading “bypass diplomacy” and visiting battleground states where Germany has invested heavily.

“If Trump is re-elected, it is critical that he prevents punitive tariffs on goods from the EU,” he said.

Two sources in Mexico said senior government officials met with Trump to discuss issues that could increase pressure on Mexico under the Trump administration, including immigration and the smuggling of synthetic opioids into the United States. I’m meeting someone close to him.

Mexican government officials also discussed a free trade agreement in the North American region. The agreement was amended in 2020 under the Trump administration, and is next scheduled for review in 2026.

Mexico’s ruling party is also considering changing the person it chooses to be the next foreign minister, depending on whether Trump or Biden is likely to win, two sources said.

Mexico will hold a presidential election in June, and if the ruling party’s candidate, former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, wins as currently expected, she will be inaugurated in October, one month before the U.S. presidential election. If polls suggest Trump wins, Sheinbaum is likely to choose Marcelo Ebrard as foreign minister, the sources said. He served as foreign minister during the former Trump administration.

If Mr. Biden appears likely to win, Mr. Sheinbaum is likely to choose former United Nations Ambassador Juan Ramon de la Fuente, the sources said.

Japan is preparing to dispatch Nao Takao to strengthen diplomatic relations with the Trump campaign. Mr. Takao is an interpreter who studied at Harvard University and helped former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe become closer to Mr. Trump through golf.

Additionally, Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Taro Aso met Mr. Trump in New York on the 23rd.

Japan is concerned that Mr. Trump could revive trade protectionism and demand an increase in the cost of stationing U.S. troops in Japan, senior government officials said.

Meanwhile, in the UK, the opposition Labor Party is currently favored to win elections expected at the end of the year. The party may have a harder road to building a good relationship with Trump.

Labour’s Foreign Secretary candidate David Lammy once wrote in Time magazine that Trump was a “misogynist, neo-Nazi sociopath”. Lamy is currently working on building relationships with the party, Labor sources said. She reportedly met with potential cabinet minister candidates should Trump return, including Mike Pompeo, who served as secretary of state under Trump.

Victoria Coates, who served as deputy national security adviser during the Trump administration, said that if Trump wins, U.S.-UK relations could deteriorate, citing “personal abuse” from the British Labor Party. He said there is.

Kevin Rudd, Australia’s former prime minister and ambassador to the United States, has previously criticized Trump, but this has recently angered him.

Trump said in a television interview last month that he had overheard Rudd’s comments and said, “If he turns on him completely, he won’t be able to stay in the United States very long.”

Australian Foreign Minister Wong was quick to defend Mr. Rudd, stressing that even if Mr. Trump returns to office, Mr. Rudd will remain ambassador to the United States.

Mr Rudd is working behind the scenes to stop Mr Trump from withdrawing from a key security agreement between Australia and the US, a diplomat based in Australia said.

The Biden administration has already agreed to sell five Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, making the first steps toward introducing a nuclear-powered submarine force to the country.

The diplomat said Mr. Rudd appears to be lobbying his home country to take immediate action to make it harder for Mr. Trump to break the story.

However, Michael Shoebridge of Strategic Analysis Australia warned that there was still a possibility that the two countries’ agreement could be scuttled by Trump’s “America First” policy. He said there are plenty of ways for Trump to say, “The US Navy doesn’t have enough[nuclear submarines]so Australia can’t get them.”

If you want to lobby Trump more discreetly, one way to do that is to use lobbyists.

A former South Korean government official in Washington said that as the Biden administration monitors the movements of foreign governments, South Korea prefers an “invisible” approach to understanding Mr. Trump’s thoughts through lobbying groups. He reveals that he is there.

A current South Korean government official said there is active exchange in Washington’s lobbyist community with South Koreans who want to understand Trump’s views on trade and investment, particularly on anti-inflation laws.

Several allies have hired lobbyists close to Mr. Trump, such as Ballard Partners. Brian Ballard, who runs Ballard Partners, is a highly sought-after lobbyist with close ties to Trump.

“Many members of our firm have been allies of Mr. Trump for many years,” said Justin Seifir, a partner at Ballard Partners. Customers include Japan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs would not comment on its relationship with Ballard Partners, although it said it was seeking advice and support from a variety of experts.

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Senior Correspondent based in Mexico. Reports on politics, corruption, security, migration and economy in Mexico and Central America. A Peruvian journalist with more than 20 years of experience in Latin America and the Caribbean covering elections, coups d’etat, uprisings, summits , economic crisis, natural disasters and sports. Previously based in Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela, he’s fluent in Spanish and English.

Washington-based correspondent covering campaigns and Congress. Previously posted in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Santiago, Chile, and has reported throughout Latin America. Co-winner of the 2021 Reuters Journalist of the Year Award primarily in the business coverage category for a series on corruption and fraud in the oil industry. He was born in Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard College.