In Trump’s view, the U.S. led global order that structured international relations for more than a half century no longer serves, if it ever did, U.S. interests and deserves a quick burial. “Trump,” writes University of California political scientist Stephen Fish, “wants to return to a world in which great powers take what they’re capable of taking and everybody else just has to live with it. But more than that, he’s actually attempting to create a world that is dominated by autocracies because he wants to create autocracy in the United States and ally with autocracies abroad.”

That sounds about right, although I would add that Trump envisions the U.S. retaining its position as the dominant power in this new anti-democratic, authoritarian world order. The only major power that isn’t welcome into this “august” body is China. Unlike other major powers, China is considered a competitor, and a socialist one at that, to the imperial and hegemonic designs of the Trump administration and his billionaire backers.