Bremmer: Trump's Global Influence Is Starting to Fade
Political scientist Ian Bremmer told France 24 that US President Donald Trump has reached "peak Trump" and will have less political power over his remaining two years. He says world leaders are already preparing for the period after Trump.
Ian Bremmer, founder and CEO of the political risk consultancy Eurasia Group and of GZERO Media, argued in an interview with François Picard on France 24's "Spotlight" programme that US President Donald Trump has reached "peak Trump". In Bremmer's view, the president is increasingly less able to set the political agenda, both in the United States and internationally. The interview was published on 6 November 2026, after elections in which, by Bremmer's account, the governing party suffered its most consequential reversal in more than half a century.
Formal power versus political influence
Bremmer does not claim that Trump has become powerless. The president remains commander-in-chief, runs the machinery of the executive branch and continues to dominate the media landscape. But Bremmer contends that his ability to turn those advantages into lasting political wins is shrinking quickly. He attributes this to a more emboldened congressional opposition, growing discontent among Republicans, and unpopular economic and foreign policy decisions.
Bremmer recalled that in 2024 Trump engineered what he calls the biggest political comeback in American history, and that only two years later he has suffered the biggest loss in 50 years.
Effects on allies and adversaries
The consequences, Bremmer says, reach beyond Washington. On the war in Iran, the unresolved conflict in Ukraine and strained transatlantic relations, America's allies and adversaries are beginning to recalibrate their strategic calculations and to look past the current administration. "Those foreign leaders will start to engage more with the America that they expect to deal with after Trump is gone," Bremmer said.
The domestic picture
At home, Bremmer points to economic disillusionment, the perceived betrayal of campaign promises, and allegations of corruption and self-dealing. In his view, these factors have eroded the electoral coalition that returned Trump to the White House. He also notes the president's apparent preoccupation with monuments, personal projects and his legacy, and describes him as increasingly distracted.
"He's focusing on things that don't really matter. And ultimately that's going to weaken his power and weaken his disruptive capacity," Bremmer said. The presidential term has two years left, but the level of disruption, he says, will be well below what it was at the start of this term.
