Fareed Zakaria

It It believes it is exceptional and all that. And I think you see some of that in the Trump attitude. I think the point you made about Europe is the principal place where I would say there was a lesson to learn that we had gotten too complacent about the Western alliance and we had gotten too complacent about Europe's foreign policy dysfunctions.

And I think, you know, in some ways, Trump's willingness to to sort of think the unthinkable and say the unsayable. Like he said, for example, maybe we should make a deal with Iran. You know, he went in his first term and tried to make a deal with Kim Jong-un. Those things I actually do find refreshing because why not try to see if there's a way you could make a deal with Kim Jong-un?

And I think, you know, in some ways, Trump's willingness to to sort of think the unthinkable and say the unsayable. Like he said, for example, maybe we should make a deal with Iran. You know, he went in his first term and tried to make a deal with Kim Jong-un. Those things I actually do find refreshing because why not try to see if there's a way you could make a deal with Kim Jong-un?

Why not see if there's a way? I think all these things are low probabilities of success, but there is something to be said for Iran thinking out of the box in some way or the other. I feel like with Trump, the danger is not the thinking out of the box part. The danger is he doesn't value that the box we created is a pretty special box.

Why not see if there's a way? I think all these things are low probabilities of success, but there is something to be said for Iran thinking out of the box in some way or the other. I feel like with Trump, the danger is not the thinking out of the box part. The danger is he doesn't value that the box we created is a pretty special box.

And it's been very hard in human history to find an era of peace and prosperity and great power stability of the kind we have been able to create. So before we have this kind of Maoist nihilism and say, let's burn the whole thing down and see where it goes. That's appreciated the box.

And it's been very hard in human history to find an era of peace and prosperity and great power stability of the kind we have been able to create. So before we have this kind of Maoist nihilism and say, let's burn the whole thing down and see where it goes. That's appreciated the box.

So I've thought about this a lot because why would you choose USAID? It's 1% of the federal budget. If you were able to change some of the uploading mechanisms in Medicare Advantage, you'd probably save more money than in reforming USAID. Medicare is a trillion dollars. Social Security is a trillion and a half dollars. USAID is about $40 billion. Right. And they don't seem to be reforming it.

So I've thought about this a lot because why would you choose USAID? It's 1% of the federal budget. If you were able to change some of the uploading mechanisms in Medicare Advantage, you'd probably save more money than in reforming USAID. Medicare is a trillion dollars. Social Security is a trillion and a half dollars. USAID is about $40 billion. Right. And they don't seem to be reforming it.

They're annihilating it. So I think what happened is, if there's thought behind it, there must have been. Musk and company said, what is the least popular form of spending that the U.S. does? And Marco Rubio alluded to this. It's obviously foreign aid. You're sending money to foreigners. People feel like, why shouldn't we be spending it at home? It's easy, right? So I think that that was the idea.

They're annihilating it. So I think what happened is, if there's thought behind it, there must have been. Musk and company said, what is the least popular form of spending that the U.S. does? And Marco Rubio alluded to this. It's obviously foreign aid. You're sending money to foreigners. People feel like, why shouldn't we be spending it at home? It's easy, right? So I think that that was the idea.

Let's go for an easy win. Let's go for something where particularly our base, the MAGA base, and most Americans in general, think this is a waste of government spending. And they went at it with a brutality, I think, to send a signal to other government agencies, don't block us. This is what will happen to you if you try to, in some way or the other, do an end run around what we're doing.

Let's go for an easy win. Let's go for something where particularly our base, the MAGA base, and most Americans in general, think this is a waste of government spending. And they went at it with a brutality, I think, to send a signal to other government agencies, don't block us. This is what will happen to you if you try to, in some way or the other, do an end run around what we're doing.

Look, the effect to my mind is tragic because there's the sort of geopolitical argument that this is the soft power of the United States. We go into these countries and people think well of America. Now the Chinese are going to go in. The Russians are going to go in. I believe all that. But I think it's you put it in those competitive terms to sell it. And I get it.

Look, the effect to my mind is tragic because there's the sort of geopolitical argument that this is the soft power of the United States. We go into these countries and people think well of America. Now the Chinese are going to go in. The Russians are going to go in. I believe all that. But I think it's you put it in those competitive terms to sell it. And I get it.

But, you know, it's been one of the wonderful things that the United States has done in the world. Foreign aid barely existed before 1945. It's, again, one of these revolutions of foreign policy that America in large part initiated. And, you know, I think it is largely the impulse comes from the idea we're the richest country in the history of the world.

But, you know, it's been one of the wonderful things that the United States has done in the world. Foreign aid barely existed before 1945. It's, again, one of these revolutions of foreign policy that America in large part initiated. And, you know, I think it is largely the impulse comes from the idea we're the richest country in the history of the world.

It's also be a great thing for us to be the most generous country in the history of the world. Four out of every 10 humanitarian dollars spent in the world are spent by the United States. And most of USAID's budget is food and medicine. You're literally feeding the hungry, you're clothing sick people. I've seen this on the ground. The people who do work at USAID are

It's also be a great thing for us to be the most generous country in the history of the world. Four out of every 10 humanitarian dollars spent in the world are spent by the United States. And most of USAID's budget is food and medicine. You're literally feeding the hungry, you're clothing sick people. I've seen this on the ground. The people who do work at USAID are

These are people who moved to Mozambique or Ghana to learn how to get water filtration systems in there. They're getting paid $60,000, $70,000 a year. They're not doing it for the money. They're not doing it for the glory. They're doing it because they believe that the United States can have a kind of positive impact on the world.