In January 2025, Trump signed a sweeping executive order (“Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements”) instructing the U.S. to withdraw immediately from the Paris Climate Agreement and rescind all U.S. pledges under UN climate accords. In practice, this meant cancelling tens of millions in promised climate finance. By March 2025, the administration also pulled U.S. funding out of multilateral “Just Energy Transition” partnerships with emerging economies (e.g. South Africa, Vietnam, Indonesia). Analysts note this created a funding gap – South Africa, for example, lost about $56 million in grants and $1 billion in planned investments as its total international climate pledge fell from $13.8B to $12.8B. These moves undermined Global South clean-energy projects (even large renewables like South Africa’s Selemela solar plant) and forced poorer countries to seek new funding sources.

Trade and tariff measures

Trump dramatically expanded U.S. trade barriers in 2025. Using Section 232 authority , he hiked tariffs on steel, aluminium and copper imports to 50 % (and 25% on foreign autos). In April 2025, he also invoked emergency powers to impose a 10% “reciprocal” tariff on all imports not already covered by other sanctions. Critically, in July 2025, he signed an order suspending the longstanding “de minimis” duty exemption (which had let packages under $800 enter the U.S. duty-free). After August 2025, nearly all low‑value shipments (including small shipments of goods from China, Africa, or Latin America) began incurring duties. Economists warn these sweeping tariffs hurt exporters in the Global South (tariff conflicts even flared with neighbours like Canada and Mexico, raising costs on developing‑country goods and disrupting trade.

Cuts to foreign aid and development assistance

On Day 1 of his second term (Jan. 20, 2025), Trump ordered a 90‑day “realignment” of all U.S. foreign aid. In practice, this effectively dismantled USAID : many aid programs were merged into the State Dept or terminated, and the independent USAID agency was slated for elimination. By mid‑2025, the administration’s rescission budget proposal sought to claw back over $8 billion from foreign assistance (targeting global health, humanitarian, and development programs). The cuts hit Global South recipients hard: Africa alone had received roughly $12 billion in U.S. aid in FY2024. Loss of U.S. funding has forced many countries (e.g. in sub‑Saharan Africa and South Asia) to scramble for substitutes; public health campaigns, vaccine programs, and infrastructure projects previously backed by USAID are now under threat.

Migration and immigration restrictions

Trump tightened immigration rules affecting many in the Global South. In January 2025, he issued an order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program indefinitely, halting refugee resettlement from regions like Africa, Asia and Latin America. Later in 2025 (via proclamations in June and December), he expanded travel bans on foreign nationals from numerous developing countries. For example, a Dec. 16, 2025, proclamation extended full entry bans to countries including Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Laos and Sierra Leone, and imposed new restrictions on citizens from Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and others. These measures blocked many migrants and visitors from the Global South. Also in 2025, Reuters reported that the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to remove Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from Venezuelan migrants.

Military and diplomatic initiatives in the Global South

Trump also pursued new security ties in Latin America. In December 2025, the administration announced it would designate Peru as a major Non‑NATO Ally . This special status grants Peru expanded privileges (easier purchase of U.S. military equipment and joint training programs) intended to strengthen counternarcotics cooperation. More broadly, a “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine was unveiled in the 2025 National Security Strategy, declaring that “the American people – not foreign nations nor globalist institutions – will always control their own destiny in our hemisphere”. In practice, this has meant deeper U.S. military engagement in the Caribbean and Latin America (e.g. U.S. access to bases in the Dominican Republic, new Caribbean radar installations) to counter perceived threats. These moves signalled a reassertion of U.S. influence over Western Hemisphere nations.

The "pass," which stands for "prioritized appointments scheduling system,” allows foreigners who have purchased World Cup tickets through FIFA to receive expedited visa interview appointments. 

Under the new priority system, ticket holders who purchased through FIFA will use a dedicated "FIFA portal." This portal prioritizes visa application processing and interview scheduling within the State Department's system. 

This measure is intended to ensure timely entry for hundreds of thousands of fans.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino touted Trump’s efforts to ensure the success of the World Cup.

“You said it the very first time we met, Mr. President, America welcomes the world,” Infantino said.

Over 400 additional consular officers will be deployed globally to manage the demand, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

He made it clear, however, that security vetting would not be compromised.

“We’re going to do the same vetting as anybody else would get,” Rubio said. “The only difference here is, we’re moving them up in the queue.” 

The 104 games next year will be hosted across Canada, Mexico , and the US.

While there will be laxer processes, Trump issued a stern warning concerning host cities. 

Citing the election of progressive activist Katie Wilson as mayor of Seattle, Trump floated the idea of moving games if he deemed the city unsafe.

“If we think there’s gonna be a sign of any trouble, I would ask Gianni to move that to a different city,” he said.

“The drugs coming in by sea are like 5% of what they were a year ago — less than 5 percent,” Trump said. “So now they’re coming in by land. And even the land is concerned, because I told them that’s going to be next.”

Trump suggested that he might seek congressional backing for further measures. “We may go to the Senate. We may go to Congress and tell them about it, but I can’t imagine they’d have any problem with it,” he added. “What are they going to do? Say, ‘We don’t want to stop drugs pouring in’? They’re killing 300,000 people a year. I think that’s the real number.”

The comments come amid heightened U.S.–Venezuela tensions following several U.S. strikes on what officials described as “narco-boats” linked to drug trafficking operations. Washington has accused President Nicolás Maduro’s government of facilitating narcotics smuggling, while Caracas has denounced the U.S. actions as “modern-day imperialism” and an attempt to seize Venezuela’s natural resources.