Donald Trump Is No Longer Feared

Daniel W. Drezner · 17 Sept 2026

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Trump's tariffs and his war in Iran are contributing to current U.S. inflation.

Their wordsThe current problem with prices might be one part AI construction boom, but it is one part Trump's tariffs and one part Trump's war in Iran as well.

Also said by Noah Smith

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Every claim below was made in this piece, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

Our reading
Failed U.S. attempts to secure its preferred outcomes in the Persian Gulf will keep energy prices elevated.

Their wordsSo it does not seem as though U.S. preferences in the Persian Gulf will be achieved - which means prices in general and energy prices in particular are likely to stay high.
Our reading
Trump's tariffs and his war in Iran are contributing to current U.S. inflation.

Their wordsThe current problem with prices might be one part AI construction boom, but it is one part Trump's tariffs and one part Trump's war in Iran as well.
Our reading
Trump is globally hated but not feared, the opposite of where Machiavelli said a prince should be.

Their wordsIn Machiavellian terms, Trump is no longer feared, and he's definitely no longer liked. Instead, he is hated - which is the one thing Machiavelli stressed should be avoided at all costs.

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