How should Indo-Pacific leaders deal with Trump 2.0? Analysts suggest getting personal

Indo-Pacific leaders may need to play up whatever personal ties they have with Donald Trump to manage their countries’ relations with the US in the coming years, analysts say, amid concerns that a return of his “America First” approach could weaken the US commitment to the region.

Following Trump’s re-election to the White House on Tuesday, many world leaders chose to use X, the social media site owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk, to extend their congratulations to the president-elect.

Among them were Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi; German Chancellor Olaf Scholz; and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Marcos also congratulated Trump via a personal text message, Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Philippine ambassador to the US, said, and received a response that “acknowledged with thanks” his good wishes, Romualdez told the Philippine news outlet GMA Network.

Trump is known for his deeply transactional style of diplomacy, which characterised his foreign policy during his first term that ran from 2017 to 2021.