Trump and Nixon operated on the idea of populism, but what differed was their use of strategies and methods. Nixon was able to help improve trade relations with China and the Soviet Union using détente, something that Trump could not do he in fact, started a trade war between China and instilled some of the toughest sanctions in Russia such as not lifting the Russias invasion of Crimea in 204. Nixons civil negotiations with China and the Soviet Union is something that stood out in his foreign policy it was always in line with his goals and it is apparent that it is driven by American idealism. Nixon and his Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger confronted communism and old allies that now had become economic adversaries and were committed to advance economic growth. Nixon made sure the balance of power was established using the policy of triangulation and his consideration of rapprochement is what allowed his administration to thrive in foreign policy. The underlying reasons for Nixon to consider rapprochement stems from the potential he sees in China that it could grow to be a huge market, but more importantly, because it increases the Sino-Soviet tension. It is a very smart move by Nixon considering that he notices the growing dissidence between the U.S.S.R and China has limited both countries in the pursuit of policies basically antagonistic to U.S. interests. Even in todays society, being able to negotiate with China and Russia remains a challenge with the U.S. because of the loss of trust that has occurred between these two countries. The national security threat with Chinese companies
posing as spies in the United States, i.e. Huawei, along with the meddling done in the 206 presidential election has further divided the relationship between the U.S. with China and Russia.
In regards to the Middle East, Trump brokered a peace deal for the first time in more than a quarter-century with Israelis and Arabs the Abraham Accords, the agreement that stabilized the relationship with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Sudan. It is an achievement in the Trump administration that should not be dismissed as it will be easier for the U.S. to be able to deal with other countries in the Middle East. During the Nixon administration, he dealt with the aftermath of the 967 Arab-Israeli war, in which it left Syria and Egypt to attack Israel, so they were able to reclaim the territories that they lost during the war. During that time, Nixon established Shuttle Diplomacy, in which Kissinger traveled between the Middle East capitals to negotiate peace after the Arab-Israeli War in 973. Nixon was not able to broker peace, but later ended up aiding Israel by sending them two billion dollars worth of military supplies and with Kissinger securing a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Syria. Although Nixon did all he could to reduce tensions in the Middle East, dealing with the Middle East was more of a pitfall for Nixon in his foreign policy strategy, but one of Trumps strong suits as he was actually able to get the countries to sign the peace treaty. However, it is important to note that all Secretary of States since Kissinger have used shuttle diplomacy to further U.S. foreign policy goals.