A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 departs from San Diego International Airport with an American flag in the foreground on April 20, 2025 in San Diego, California, U.S. U.S. President Donald Trump's "America First" ideology, which, generally speaking, prioritizes the domestic over the international, rests on the assumption that the world needs America more than it needs the world. This may be true for the status quo. The U.S. is the world's largest importer and among the biggest exporters, according to the World Integrated Trade Solution, a database provided by the World Trade Organization.

But change is afoot. Countries are finding ways to respond to Trump's nationalistic gestures. Southeast Asian nations, which suffered the brunt of Trump tariffs, are banding together to increase intra-regional trade and diversify their export destinations.

China, after assessing the severity of Trump's threats, seems to be ready to strengthen its fiscal stimulus. It's not like the U.S. has a monopoly over all aspects of international affairs, either. China controls much of the supply chain of rare earth elements as well as critical minerals like nickel and copper.

Trump's green light to deep-sea mining of those elements is a sign the U.S. is playing catch-up with China. An "America First" policy may backfire as it drives other countries to take measures that could leave the U.S. behind.