SVG
Commentary
Wall Street Journal

A “Trumpier” Second-Term Foreign Policy

This time he’d hire people who agree with him, not seasoned establishment figures.

walter_russell_mead
walter_russell_mead
Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship
(Gage Skidmore via Flickr)
Caption
(Gage Skidmore via Flickr)

 has a historic lead , and while November 2024 is a long 13 months away, national polls point to a  that Mr. Trump could win. It is time to think about what a second Trump term would mean for American foreign policy. Thanks to his first-term record, his statements since leaving office, and the views of Trump associates and confidants such as Richard Grenell, Mr. Trump’s ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence, it’s possible to discern what a MAGA 2.0 foreign policy might look like.

A second Trump term would almost certainly be “Trumpier” than the first. For much of his first term, Mr. Trump surrounded himself with well-known conservative foreign-policy figures and senior military leaders, often deferring to their advice. More experienced, more confident in his own judgment and less deferential to others’ expertise, Mr. Trump likely will fill senior positions with people who reflect rather than challenge his instincts and priorities.