WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Trump has made achievements in beefing up a qualified team and in international politics, according to analysts.
"[Trump’s] national security team is well qualified [while] his economic team is a mixed bag of Wall Street and some with real economy experience," international affairs analyst and historian Jeff Steinberg said in an interview.
Trump’s "summits with [Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo] Abe and [Chinese President] Xi Jinping went smoothly," Steinberg said.
Trump had also taken some first, cautious steps to prepare the ground for improved relations with Russia, Steinberg added.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in his first official visit to Moscow moved "to step one in putting US-Russia back to some degree," he said.
"Bannon is there to remind Trump how he got elected and the kids cover his back," he said.
However, like Ronald Reagan before him, Trump probably faced a work-up period of another year or more in office, Steinberg foresaw.
"I would say it is not nearly as bad as the media distortions [claim], but there is a long way to go before a real presidency is in place. It took Reagan 18 months to get his act together and Trump has to show he can learn," he said.
Woodrow Wilson Center senior Asia analyst Shihoko Goto agreed that Trump had provided far more stability and continuity in foreign affairs in his first months in office than his critics had feared.
"From a foreign policy perspective, there has been reassurance that his campaign rhetoric has not panned out. He has reaffirmed the strengths of alliances in Asia," she said.
"Mattis and Tillerson have made a point of visiting Japan and South Korea a priority, the administration is focusing on dealing with North Korea. All these are positive developments and in line with what we would expect from a traditional Republican administration," she said.
However, Trump still faced challenges in dealing with China and North Korea, Goto cautioned.
"The real test will be how the administration will be able to tackle the North Korea threat and deal with China’s assertions, both of which will require support from allies," she said.
On the economic front, however Trump faced the consequences of pulling out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and his continued insistence that the United States must leave the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Goto observed.
