When it comes to international conflict, U.S. President Donald Trump learns everything the hard way. When it comes to international conflict, U.S. President Donald Trump learns everything the hard way. Trump insists that his determination and powers of persuasion will force seismic change—cowing enemies, bridging schisms, and achieving diplomatic masterstrokes. But talk of summits and grand bargains went nowhere, leading the Trump administration to set the clock back to a conventional, pre-Obama approach focused on containment and sanctions. Now, the Trump administration is back to the drawing board here, too.