<p>Some problems seem truly global or planetary and attempting to solve such problems has been a major purpose of global governance since its nineteenth century beginnings. Trump’s government is either unconcerned with those problems and actively pursues policies directed toward their exacerbation. This article differentiates the harms that may result. In some cases, including averting the worst consequences of the climate crisis and preparing for the next pandemic, the non-involvement of the US government in global problem solving may have significant consequences. In other cases, the long-run impact on global problem solving may be small, even if the immediate consequences are dire. This may prove to be the case, for example, with economic inequality across countries. Similarly, even though the US government may become either unimportant or an impediment to solving global- and planetary-level problems for many years, the basic politics of their solution is likely to remain similar the way it has been since the mid-nineteenth century. This is important lesson for members of international epistemic communities, social movements, and for civil servants at all levels, to remember. These are the groups whose work in global problem solving has always been just as important as that of the elected or self-appointed governments of even the most powerful countries.</p>