Trump’s 5 Rs: Insights from Former Adviser on Key Principles Guiding the President’s Decisions | US News

In Donald Trump’s second term as President, he has publicly confronted Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, sought to halt all foreign assistance, and proposed a strategy to “own” Gaza – all within the first 50 days of his administration.

On the recent episode of the Sky News podcast The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim, Matt Pottinger, who served as Mr. Trump’s deputy national security adviser during his first term, joins the hosts to delve into the motivations behind the leader’s actions.

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According to Mr. Pottinger, the worldview embraced by the US president can be summarized into five foundational principles, referred to as the five Rs.

He subsequently elaborates on the aspects that are significant to Mr. Trump.

Reciprocity

This concept is straightforward. “If a nation, in both its national security priorities and trade relations with the United States, reciprocates the treatment given by the US, things will generally go smoothly,” Mr. Pottinger articulated.

He added: “President Trump carries a perception of grievance, believing that the United States has unjustly opened its markets or has extensively subsidised the security of other nations without those nations sharing an adequate portion of the load.”

Reindustrialisation

This term was first used by Mr. Trump during his initial term, but “it’s a phrase that resonates even more now,” Mr. Pottinger stated.

He elaborated: “It’s the notion that the United States has lost too much of its industrial base to other nations, particularly its primary rival, the People’s Republic of China under the Communist Party.”

“He aims to attract foreign direct investment back to the US.

“It’s inadequate to merely focus on allied nations; the goal is to bring industrial investment back home.”

Reimbursement

Mr. Pottinger recounted that he first came across this term when Mr. Trump wanted to use it in a speech in Seoul back in 2017 – but advisors, including him, convinced the president against it.

“We had crafted a very elegant speech for him, and he had inserted a line in the middle stating that South Korea should reimburse the United States for all expenses incurred since 1950 for its defense,” he shared. “We convinced him to omit that line from the speech at that time.

“Had he included that, it would have overshadowed the entire speech and would not have been perceived well by the host. It would have been inappropriate.

“Nonetheless, he still firmly believes that every nation that the United States defends or has supported in its defense should offer some form of reimbursement to the US.”

Real estate

Reimbursement, Mr. Pottinger noted, seamlessly transitions into the fourth R: real estate.

Mr. Trump began his career in the business realm at his father’s real estate firm in the late 1960s, later developing properties such as Trump Tower in New York and numerous Trump-branded hotels globally.

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Last November, Forbes assessed that Trump’s real estate ventures constituted approximately $1.1 billion of his total net worth of $5.6 billion.

The significance of Mr. Trump’s real estate investments is mirrored in some of his policy proposals, including his vision for Gaza’s redevelopment.

“I would take ownership of this,” he stated regarding the Gaza Strip last month – subsequently sharing an AI-generated video illustrating his concept of turning the region into a Middle Eastern paradise complete with skyscrapers, luxury yachts, and a ‘Trump Gaza’ building.

Respect

Mr. Trump “desires to be treated with dignity,” Mr. Pottinger observed. “He often displays graciousness as a host; when he feels respected, he reciprocates that respect towards his counterparts.

“I’ve been present in numerous meetings with foreign leaders, and typically, that’s how interactions unfold.”