The specifics of the call or the tweets may matter less than the symbolism that Trump is bringing a different style of domestic and international governance to the White House.
“I think the main message that people in the U.S. and around the world are getting…is that there’s a new sheriff in town, or there will be on Jan. 20,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and international affairs at the University of Mary Washington and author of “Spinner in Chief: How Presidents Sell Their Policies and Themselves.”
It may not be clear until weeks or months into Trump’s presidency just how much of what he is currently tweeting he means, but other world leaders may not have the patience or ability to wait and see.
“Everybody appreciates that presidential candidates exaggerate, say things that they may not mean, or that they will not be able to enact, but when you become to president-elect, things change completely,” Farnsworth said. “At that point, you’re going to be taken much more seriously, both by businesses in the U.S. and foreign leaders who might not have the luxury of dismissing what the president-elect of the United States has to say.”
