A lot of labels have been applied to Trump's foreign policy approach. America First, Isolationist, transactional, imperialist, protectionist. "I'm a nationalist and a globalist" he told the Wall Street Journal during his first term. In his inaugural address last month, Trump made comments suggesting his foreign policy will be characterized by restraint, saying, in part, success should be defined by the "wars we never get into."Yet in the same address, he also said, the United States will take back the Panama Canal. In his first campaign, Trump ran on the idea that the cycle of the United States intervening in the Middle East should come to an end. And on Tuesday of this week, he said that the U.S. will "take over" the Gaza Strip, after relocating the Palestinians, who live there.Trump has promised a new approach to American foreign policy. Is there a Trump Doctrine? And what is it?For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.orgEmail us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What defines Trump's foreign policy approach?
Here's a question that's sometimes hard to answer. What is President Trump's foreign policy? Is it one that is governed by restraint? Maybe, if you go by his inaugural address.
We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into.
Or maybe it will be defined by expansion. He has threatened to take over Greenland, make Canada the 51st state. He has plans for Panama, too. As he mentioned, in, yes, that very same inaugural address.
China is operating the Panama Canal, and we didn't give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we're taking it back.
Maybe the answer to what defines Trump's foreign policy is rooted in his criticism of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which helped him win the Republican nomination way back in 2016.
This destructive cycle of intervention and chaos must finally, folks, come to an end. Come to an end. We've spent... At last count, $6 trillion in the Middle East. And our roads have potholes all over. Our highways are falling apart. Our bridges are falling. Our tunnels are no good. Our airports are horrible like third world countries. We got to start spending on ourselves.
And that might convince you that Trump wants to avoid nation building in the Middle East until you listen to his press conference on Tuesday at which he said the U.S. will, quote, take over the Gaza Strip after relocating the Palestinians who live there.
I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East and maybe the entire Middle East.
On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt said the plan would not involve U.S. taxpayer dollars, and she said the president had not committed to U.S. boots on the ground. But when pressed... He did not rule out American troops in Gaza last night. Are you doing that now?
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Chapter 2: How does Trump's rhetoric on military intervention contrast with his actions?
Vance has been very clear that he thinks Iraq and Afghanistan were huge mistakes.
Yes. And there are some folks in the new administration who I think want to take a much harder line on Iran. We saw the Trump administration, you know, say they're going to go back to maximum pressure on Iran. But I don't think we're necessarily headed for conflict in that case.
You know, last time around, there were huge fears that John Bolton and others would push the president into a war with Iran. This time, it really does seem like the pressure is a means to an end. It's dealmaking. It's trying to find a nuclear deal solution. with Iran, whether they can do it or not, totally different question. But I don't think the plan here is to get in some kind of conflict.
You know, as somebody who thinks that the US would be well served by a break with the foreign policy of the last administration, what are you as somebody who would like to see a shift like that most hopeful about when it comes to the changes that Trump is at least saying he's trying to make?
I mean, this is very difficult because I think we all know that the president, you know, maybe he does some things that are good and then he does 10 things that are bad and it might outweigh that. I do think, though, that what has become increasingly clear in recent years is that, US foreign policy probably needs some kind of complete upheaval.
If we look at every administration for the last 15 years, they all came into office looking for some kind of change, right? We were going to pull back from Afghanistan under Obama. We were going to be this gentler superpower under Biden. None of it really panned out. We kept getting dragged back into the Middle East. We've never managed to effectively pivot to Asia.
And so I think one of Trump's biggest virtues is that he seems to be someone who is willing to just break with the status quo, even if he doesn't necessarily have... a good idea of what is going to replace it.
But I do think in terms of if you want wholesale change in US foreign policy, this administration probably offers a better chance for it, whether it's things like some grand bargain in the Middle East or, you know, getting the US to pull back somewhat from European security and getting Europeans to step up in their own defense, right?
These are areas where I think you could see progress in this administration that you just couldn't under Biden.
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