Trump the global bully: why the world is running out of ways to stop him

As the new year begins, a dark joke is doing the rounds.

A political cartoon shows Donald Trump in bed, scribbling a list of New Year’s ‘revolutions’: seize Venezuela, eye Greenland and Canada, provoke global conflict – and somehow still win a Nobel Peace Prize.

It is satire, but uncomfortably close to how many now see the American presidency operating.

Business Day columnist (and former CEO of the South African Post Office) Mark Barnes argues that the world is confronting something extraordinary: the sheer power of a single executive authority acting with minimal restraint. In theory, democratic systems, international law and global institutions should limit that power. In practice, Barnes says, they are struggling to keep up.

Power without guardrails

Barnes notes that executive orders allow a US president to force through dramatic decisions with immediate global consequences. While such authority can be effective ‘in the right hands’, the danger lies in what happens when it is not. In Trump’ case, Barnes believes the only definitive brake may eventually come from American voters – but that is a long way off.

In the meantime, resistance is emerging elsewhere. The pushback is no longer coming from ‘small players’, but from major global powers and bodies such as the United Nations Security Council. Even so, Barnes warns that this confrontation is not about diplomatic etiquette. At its core, it is about oil, economics and the use of military force to secure economic advantage.

“That’s a terrifying thought,” he says, likening current events to a return to imperialism – territory, firepower and might making right. “I thought we’d moved on from that.”

A system breaking its own rules

There is a deeper irony, Barnes argues. In trying to discipline states that behave badly, the global system itself starts breaking the rules of sovereignty and territorial integrity. The result is a growing mess – one that will not be easily cleaned up.

Trade tariffs, off-the-cuff policy announcements and what Barnes calls ‘one-person initiatives’ are already setting the stagefor long-term consequences. Retaliation, he warns, is coming – and when it does, the fallout will be severe.

Cracks at home

Signs of internal resistance are also appearing in the US. Senators from Trump’s own party have joined Democrats to insist that further military action, particularly in Venezuela, requires congressional approval. While Trump could ignore such moves, they point to a widening gap between him and all but his most loyal supporters.

Barnes believes the problem for Trump is credibility. Occasional actions that many supporters applaud are drowned out by what he describes as a broader pattern of misconduct. Eventually, even loyalists tire.

When truth no longer matters

The concern deepens when it comes to how events are framed. Recent controversy around the fatal shooting of a Minnesota resident by US immigration officers has highlighted how quickly official narratives can be shaped – and how loosely they can be tied to evidence.

Multiple videos of the incident contradict claims that the victim attempted to ‘weaponise’ her vehicle. Yet senior political figures weighed in immediately, directing the narrative before any investigation concluded.

In such an environment, Barnes says, facts struggle to survive. Volume replaces truth. The loudest voice often wins.

A dangerous road ahead

The world may yet say ‘enough’. The question is what follows. Will it lead to unity and restraint, or deeper division and conflict?

For now, the global order looks increasingly fragile – strained by personal power, weakened institutions and a growing disregard for truth. And that, Barnes warns, gives everyone reason for serious concern.

For more information, listen to Barnes using the audio player below: