President Trump has been in some hot water following his first 100 days, and it usually has to deal with his foreign relations. We met with political science staff to explain some of the potential impacts of Trump’s actions.

Sharing intel

The New York Times reported the information shared by President Trump in a meeting with Sergey V. Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, and Sergey I. Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States, was about an Islamic State plot, according to the officials. A Middle Eastern ally that closely guards its own secrets provided the information, which was considered so sensitive that American officials did not share it widely within the United States government or pass it on to other allies.

Why it matters? While there is debate, what Trump did doesn’t appear to be illegal. The president has the power to declassify almost any information. Former officials said the ally has repeatedly warned American officials that it would cut off access to such sensitive information if it were shared too widely, meaning Trump could have jeopardized that relationship.

This opens Trump up for criticism about handling sensitive information. During his campaign he often talked about Hillary Clinton, the Democrat nominee, and her mishandling of classified information through her private email server.

Crooked Hillary Clinton and her team “were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information.” Not fit!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 6, 2016

“What you always worry about in intelligence isn’t so much the secret. What you worry about is how you get the secret,” said Richard Mansbach, a professor in political science who focuses on foreign policy. “The worst thing you can do is to release a source – that’s what highly classified material is – because you’re risking the life of the person who gave it to you.”

Dismissing Comey

Trump fired the director of the F.B.I., James B. Comey, who at the time was leading a criminal investigation into whether Mr. Trump’s advisers colluded with the Russian government to steer the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Documents cited the ability to trust the director after his handling of the Clinton email investigation as the reason for his dismissal.

Why it matters: Following the dismissal there was speculation if it was legal for Trump to dismiss someone in charge of an investigation that affects him. Trump also called out Democrats on previously wanting Comey fired, but protesting when it happened.

References were made to Watergate, an investigation into former President Nixon’s reelection. Nixon’s attempts to fire an official looking into the investigation led to calls for his impeachment. Some speculated whether there were similar grounds for impeachment now. Trump even referenced Watergate in a warning to Comey.

The impeachment process begins with an indictment, and several presidents have gone through an indictment without being convicted or impeached.

Now there is concern that Comey has a memo from a meeting with Trump, in which Trump tried to cancel the investigation into Michael Flynn, which was tied to the investigation into Russian influence on the election.

“If the meeting that Jim Comey said took place … that’s bad. That’s bad stuff,” Mansbach said.

What’s it mean for foreign policy under Trump?

“The problem is there’s always a gap between the rhetoric and what’s going on,” Mansbach said. “It’s challenging.”

The President has frequently shared his personal stance over traditional U.S. policy, such as the One China philosophy and Israel/Palistine statehood, but so far has not made any actual policy decisions.

“The president has no experience in politics, and absolutely nada in foreign affairs, and that’s a problem,” Mansbach said. “That’s not his fault, it’s just not his background, but he doesn’t know any of the basic norms of the foreign policy establishment’s culture.”

Despite Trump’s initial personal statements during the campaign and his early days in office in regards to foreign agreements, the administration has resumed a more traditional foreign policy, Mansbach said.

NBC reported Trump told the Russian foreign minister and the Russian ambassador in the Oval Office information that caused other officials to be concerned of a security breach. White House members said Trump released the information to Russian diplomats while bragging, not intentionally. In terms of foreign policy, it makes Trump seem untrustworthy.

“He seems to go off on his own, saying, thinking and doing what he feels like,” Mansbach said. “He does contradict himself consistently, and he says things that simply aren’t true.”

Past presidents with little experience in foreign affairs have appointed informed officials to make up for it. Mansbach said Trump seems to have foreign affairs officials who are capable, but their job is made difficult trying to control Trump. 

“What happens with that kind of rhetoric is your allies don’t trust you,” Mansbach said. “They hedge their bets. If you’re not sure what the policy is, and if you’re no longer certain that America’s longterm commitments will be honored, you hedge your bets.”