Interview with Seth Moulton during MAVEK Technology Series 2025, hosted by investment bank MAVEK.
I heaved a sigh of relief when I heard some words of reassurance from one Democratic Congressman. According to Seth Moulton, who represents a congressional district from the blue state of Massachusetts in the US House of Representatives, we can expect better days ahead. It seems not all Republicans are on Trump’s side, and certainly the Democrats are working hard to tell the world that Trump’s America is not all of America.
“Let me begin by saying that America is not a monolithic country, and I strongly disagree with the Trump Administration’s foreign policy. But you should know that a lot of Americans feel the same way as I do. That Trump does not represent us or our interests. And so, you have to remember that although he is the President of the United States, we have a multi-part government, the legislative side, the Congress,” said Congressman Moulton in a Zoom Call with the media.
Moulton went on to stress there’s a lot more disagreement in the US than we see on the surface. In fact, he said that the Republicans who lead Congress right now are somewhat “cowed” by the president — but that doesn’t mean all the Republicans are on the same page.
Washington’s latest moves leave power vacuums
President Trump has to reckon with not only the Democrats and the “Rinos” — “Republicans only in name”, as he calls members of his party who are less than wholly loyal. Beyond America, he also faces the challenge of the dragon.
China is moving swiftly into areas where the United States once played a prominent role but is now retreating. “I mean, look what just happened in Cambodia, for example, the Trump administration defunded a generations-long de-mining programme that has been a great bridge between our countries for literally decades, and China came in and immediately doubled the funding for the programme that America cancelled,” said Moulton.
China’s Xi Jinping paid a visit to three Southeast Asian countries — Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia — to bolster economic cooperation with SEA. The visit has been seen favourably by political watchers in this region.
War cries from Washington and Beijing
As if global warming were not bad enough, influencers and their ilk are adding to the heat. There is an unnecessary escalation of rhetoric on social media, and some regional presses are portraying the two world powers as being on the warpath.
Moulton says the strategy should be to mend bridges instead of spoiling for a war.
A lot of geopolitical watchers are concerned that an overly hawkish US stance may precipitate a conflict between China and Taiwan. According to analysts, who study the region with cool heads and dispassionate eyes, the US needs to be more circumspect and do whatever it takes to build on its diplomatic ties in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific.
Trade war may lead to new opportunities for the region
Mind you, seen through Southeast Asian eyes, hostilities may not be entirely unwelcome — as long as bullets don’t fly. A trade war may benefit SEA in the long run when the US turns to markets other than China to source for its upstream products and services. Countries like Singapore, Brazil and Egypt may become potential winners from tariff onslaught
Kumaran Pillai is the publisher of The Independent Singapore.