So, like I said, Trump not willing to talk about Taiwan immediately after meeting with Xi, despite making a lot of noise about how he will bring up the issue of Taiwan with Xi whether Xi likes it or not, was a signal that he made some compromise with Xi.
I think Trump is operating the US, the greatest naval power the world has ever seen, with the mindset of a 17th century continental power.
Post WW2, the US has been projecting its military power in oversea bases to prevent foreign powers from attacking the US directly. If Trump is going to reverse course on that, and just worry about securing the New World continents, by sitting on the sideline when foreign adversaries attack America’s traditional allies, then once adversarial powers like Russia and China have gotten what they wanted, there are somethings the US needs to do to keep itself safe.
First, any New World state that’s poor and is unhappy with the US could be easily bought off by Russia or China to use as a forward base. That pretty much covers every country south of the US border. If this is the global “strategy” that Trump envisions, he would at least have to secure Mexico, if not all the way down to Panama.
Since Trump had made statements about annexing Greenland and Canada, I really feel like turning the US inwards to become a continental power is the mode Trump is operating under. Since both are necessary if the US wishes to defend itself in the North alone.