Trump’s proposed C5 elevates global heavyweights while sidelining weak alliances and prioritizing Israel’s regional security.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, long known for shattering diplomatic norms and challenging stale global structures, is reportedly exploring a sweeping geopolitical project: the creation of an elite power bloc called the “C5” or “Core Five.”
According to Politico, the proposed group would unite America, Russia, China, India, and Japan, forming a strategic circle that eclipses the Europe-centric G7 and replaces ideology-based alliances with raw geopolitical influence. The idea, said to appear in an unpublished extension of the National Security Strategy, remains unofficial but unmistakably “Trumpian” in tone.
At the heart of the proposed C5’s early agenda lies a major Middle East priority: advancing normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a move that would profoundly weaken pro-Palestinian extremism and the broader destabilizing efforts of Arab regimes aligned with Iran and Hamas.
The White House denies any such classified document exists. Press secretary Hannah Kelly insisted there is “no alternative or secret version” of the strategy. Yet national security experts argue the concept aligns seamlessly with Trump’s worldview—strength over symbolism, power over process, decisive partnerships rather than bureaucratic coalitions.
Former NSC official Torrey Taussig noted the glaring absence of Europe from the C5 vision, implying a strategic recalibration in which Russia is treated as a decisive power shaping European security—whether Europeans like it or not.
The revelation arrives as Washington debates how far a second Trump administration may go in reshaping the global order. Critics warn the C5 could weaken Western unity and embolden authoritarian regimes, while supporters believe it could create a more realistic structure suited for a multipolar world where influence—not ideology—determines outcomes.
For Israel, however, the implication is clear: a high-level platform where normalization with Saudi Arabia is prioritized, Arab obstruction is sidelined, and Israel’s strategic position gains unprecedented global backing.
