In the first 60 days of his second administration, President Trump has made it clear that he intends to end the Old World Order that has shaped our planet since World War II.
Free trade is out; tariffs are in. Nation-building is out; territorial acquisition is in. Wars of ideology pitting democracy against communism are out; trade deals are in. Foreign aid to win hearts and minds is out; bare-knuckled mineral deals are in. America as policeman of world is out; America First is in.
Talking heads (and writing hands) have expended much energy trying to discern the thinking behind this Trumpian strategy.
The Trump-deranged opposition believes that there is no rationale, that Trump secretly adores dictators and, like them, seeks to overthrow democracy to aggrandize his oversized ego. This says more about them than Trump.
Defenders of the existing order, including the diplomats, generals, deep state bureaucrats, and contractors see a treasonous sellout to former enemies. This reveals less about their patriotism and more about their lost influence.
The Left envisions a new imperialism and a return to the bad old days when white colonialists plundered the lands of brown people. This betrays a long-discredited view of class and race that even the Communists don’t believe anymore.
Former allies in Europe, Canada, and Mexico are just confused and exhausted.
There is a simpler explanation for Trump’s foreign policy actions: he is a businessman trying to fix America’s balance sheet.
Since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. has underwritten a global trading system by which we import cheap goods in exchange for political allegiance, and foreigners use those same dollars to buy our debt. This keeps inflation low and subsidizes gobs of domestic social spending and foreign wars. The price is massive trade deficits, even bigger fiscal deficits, and an uncomfortable reliance on foreigners — not all of them friendlies — to make it all work. This is a kind of reverse mercantilism, which erodes the financial strength of the country.
Having spent some time in bankruptcy court, Donald Trump knows a losing trade when he sees one. He must stop the borrowing. He must cut spending. He must reduce the trade deficit. He must pull back from far-flung commitments around the world and get us closer to home.
On the asset side of the ledger, private resources need to be protected and developed. He must preserve whatever is left of our manufacturing base. He must leverage our biggest asset, the deep, rich American market, to gain trade concessions.
Here’s how Trump’s foreign policy can repair the U.S. balance sheet.
Stop trying to buy hearts and minds. The Cold War is over. America won. If the rest of the world still wants to be ruled by totalitarians, monarchs, or Sharia law, that is their business. Too much foreign aid is wasted in pushing progressive exports (like DEI) onto an unwilling world. This is a fool’s errand.
Magic Studio
Jesus Christ is King
