Trump’s Global Chess Game: A World Divided into Three

A few months ago, I floated a theory to some friends—one that at the time felt outrageous, even paranoid. Now, with Donald Trump back in the White House, that theory no longer seems so far-fetched. In fact, the pieces are already in motion.

Trump has never viewed the world as a complex geopolitical landscape. To him, it’s a simple transactional game with clear winners and losers. In his mind, the U.S. should be the biggest winner, even if that means rewriting the world order entirely. Let's take Trump at his word and analyze his past behavior, his admiration for strongmen, and his obsession with absolute power. We can see the outlines of a vision: a world divided into three spheres of influence, each controlled by a different superpower.

Trump has always admired Vladimir Putin. Since returning to office, he has had multiple undisclosed conversations with the Russian leader. No one knows exactly what was said, but we do know that Trump has turned his back on Ukraine. The U.S. has abruptly cut off military aid, leaving Zelensky’s government to fend for itself. Unlike the leaders of France and the UK, who visited Washington and diplomatically flattered Trump into maintaining NATO support, Zelensky didn’t play along. He dared to stand firm, and Trump responded by labeling him difficult and not interested in peace.

But this move wasn’t about Ukraine alone—it was a signal. Trump’s long-term vision is not just isolationism; it’s a reordering of global power.

The Great Game: Dividing the World into Three

Imagine a map of the world hanging in Trump’s office. In his mind, it’s not a complex web of alliances and economic partnerships—it’s a board game, something like Risk, where territories are won and lost through brute force or strategic deals. His vision, whether explicit or instinctive, seems to be this:

North and South America belong to the U.S.

Canada becomes the 51st state, its economic collapse forcing it into submission. Mexico and Central America are economically strangled, with Trump controlling the Panama Canal as a chokehold on global shipping. With economic dominance over the Western Hemisphere, South America falls into line.

Russia gets free rein over Europe and the former Soviet states.

The U.S. abandons NATO. Putin is free to reclaim Ukraine and expand further, reassembling a version of the Soviet Union. The European Union is left weakened, divided, and vulnerable to Russian influence.

China consolidates power over Africa and the Pacific.

China has already spent years investing in Africa’s infrastructure. Trump’s vision likely involves a tacit agreement: “Africa is yours.” The South China Sea dispute? Taiwan? Trump doesn’t care. That’s China’s problem.

In this scenario, the U.S., Russia, and China carve up the world. The old rules—international law, treaties, alliances—are discarded. Trump sees himself not as a traditional president but as a mob boss, cutting deals with the other “big players” while everyone else is left to fend for themselves.

Canada in the Crosshairs

This brings us back to Canada, the annexing of which by the U.S. has been dismissed as a joke for too long. But Trump is deadly serious. A fact which White House officials have clearly communicated to a recent Canadian Trade Delegation. He has already begun referring to Canada as the “51st state” and Justin Trudeau as “Governor Trudeau.” The threat isn’t military—Trump doesn’t need tanks to take over Canada. He has economic leverage.

With U.S.-imposed tariffs and a crumbling exchange rate, Canada is only a few diabolical moves away from economic freefall. The country’s natural resources—oil, minerals, clean energy projects—are a tempting prize. Now firmly in his grip, Trump’s allies in Congress and the Supreme Court would have no problem pushing through trade policies that force Canada into economic submission. It would start with negotiations, but if Trump had his way, it would end with de facto U.S. control.

The World’s Neighbourhood Mafia

This isn’t how traditional geopolitics works, but it is how Trump works. His understanding of power is rooted in his years of navigating the mafia-controlled construction industry of 1980s New York. Power was wielded through backroom deals, territory agreements, and implicit threats there. You respect other crime families’ territories, but if someone steps out of line, you make an example of them.

That’s how Trump is running foreign policy. He doesn’t care about international norms or democratic values. He cares about making deals with the other “bosses”—Putin and Xi Jinping—to divide the world. Europe, Africa, and the rest of Asia? They’re just collateral.

Has The First Domino Fallen

Ukraine was the first test. Trump walked away, and aside from some moral indignation about protocols and decorum, the world barely blinked. Now, the question is: what’s next?

If Trump continues down this path, we look at a fundamental reshaping of global power—one where democracies are left isolated and authoritarian regimes are emboldened. The worst part? Many in the U.S. don’t see the danger. They see Trump’s moves as “America First” nationalism, not as the dismantling of the world order.

But make no mistake—this isn’t just nationalism. This is imperialism, rebranded. And if the world doesn’t wake up, Trump won’t stop at Ukraine. Canada, Latin America, Europe—the dominos are lined up. The only question is, how many will fall before someone stops him?