Washington's rule-breaking will leave it out in the cold

Intent on showing his critics he is making America "great again", US President Donald Trump appears willing to lash out at pretty much everyone and everything these days.

But in seeking to find a doorstep on which to lay his troubles, he is not only losing friends and making enemies, he is also disrupting the global economic and trade order, and damaging the credibility of the United States.

While threatening to leave Canada out of NAFTA, and brushing aside the European Union's offer of zero car tariffs, the bellicose Trump refreshed his threat on Thursday to "withdraw from the WTO".