Trump: 'Only One Thing' Limits My World Power

President Trump doesn't see many checks on his status as a world power broker. Asked by the New York Times if he perceived any limits to his powers, he responded: "Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It's the only thing that can stop me." As for international law, Trump was blunt. "I don't need international law," he said. "I'm not looking to hurt people." When pressed, Trump said his administration does abide by international law, but he suggested that he alone decides when it applies, noting, "It depends what your definition of international law is."

Trump framed his approach as one in which raw national power outweighs treaties, alliances, sovereignty, national borders, and long-standing norms. He dismissed concerns that leaders like China's Xi Jinping or Russia's Vladimir Putin could invoke similar logic to justify actions against Taiwan or Ukraine, arguing that US interests and threats are fundamentally different. "He may do it after we have a different president, but I don't think he's going to do it with me as president," Trump said of the possibility of Xi going after Taiwan.