Canada, Panama and Greenland, what next?
Americans gave President-elect Donald Trump a commanding mandate to fix the economy, bring down inflation and end the woke agenda. But when history is written, Trump’s America First foreign policy could be his most important and lasting legacy.
Just look at his first term: Trump tore up bad trade deals, walked away from the reckless Paris Agreement, ended the dangerous Iran nuclear deal, neutralized serious threats to our national security and signed the potentially game-changing Abraham Accords — all while being the first president in nearly a half century that did not start or expand an existing war.
He deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. Instead, Trump was viciously attacked with the Russia Hoax and other disinformation campaigns by shadow policymakers at D.C. thinktanks, who rightly saw Trump resetting decades of flawed U.S. foreign policy.
In his second term, Trump will once again put “America First” with a policy that promotes peace through strength. The Trump Doctrine has the potential to permanently realign American foreign policy for another century.
Here are its central tenets:
1. Secure the border.
For the past four years, the Biden administration has dismantled Trump’s investments in border security and placed our national security at risk. In fiscal year 2023, according to the Biden administration’s own data, the Border Patrol encountered 169 people who were on the terrorist watchlist who entered the U.S. illegally through our southern border with Mexico.
Inexplicably, while opening our southern border, the Biden administration has awarded millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars for border security — in other countries. Trump made clear in his campaign platform: “Before we defend the Borders of Foreign Countries, we must first secure the Border of our Country.” Foreign policy should always put our national security first, and that starts with a strong and secure border.
2. Get tough with China.
Economically, culturally and militarily – China represents the triple threat to American security. China has embarked on a massive strategic operation to expand its reach — from literal island expansion in the South China Sea to securing critical mining sites in Africa, and along key trade routes in Panama. Last July, China opened a $300 million lithium processing plant in Zimbabwe, home to the largest lithium reserves in Africa.
The Chinese Communist Party with its sophisticated espionage program is targeting American political leaders, companies, and universities. Every 12 hours, the FBI opens a new counterintelligence investigation into China. In just the past four years, counterintelligence agencies have uncovered 55 plots by Chinese Communists on U.S. soil to track U.S. military operations, steal trade secrets, or commit other schemes.
On the economic front, China has destroyed American manufacturing jobs by flooding our country with cheap goods. “They’ve ripped off the United States like no one has ever done before,” Trump said in 2020 as he announced unprecedented actions against China. Unquestionably, the data supports the president’s claim. In 1985, the U.S. trade deficit with China was $6 million. In 2018, it reached an all-time high of $418 billion.
In his second term, Trump will take off right where he left off — getting tough with China. His plans to impose tariffs on Chinese goods will bring jobs back to the United States and restore our depleted manufacturing sector. Under Trump, America’s foreign policy will finally recognize the real and present threat posed by Chinese Communist aggression.
3. Rebuild our military and global alliances.
Finally, Americans can expect Trump to invest in our military and rebuild our key alliances.
Contrast the Biden administration’s chaotic retreat in Afghanistan with Trump’s surgical strikes on key targets. During Trump’s first term, the United States military eliminated Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the self-proclaimed Islamic State. These tremendous victories were achieved without trapping America in costly and unwinnable military conflicts.
Trump’s second term will see our military modernized with the latest technologies to protect our country. His plan for a Great Iron Dome Missile Defense Shield will provide the U.S. with the technological ability to achieve the Trump Doctrine’s mission: peace through strength.
Former Rep. Michelle Steel is a first-generation Korean American immigrant, who previously served as co-chair of the Congressional Victims of Communism Caucus.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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