Trump’s Intersection of Imperialism, Populism, and Unpredictability

So apparently, no one close to President-elect Trump has yet mentioned that after World War II, the United States administered Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia before granting their independence in the late 1970s. Or that those Pacific islands likely have great wealth in their Exclusive Economic Zones that will result from undersea mining and fishing. We can be certain that Trump is unaware of these facts, because there has been no late-night tweet or any off-hand comment at a press conference that second-guesses the decisions of Presidential administrations from over 40+ years ago, but it is probably coming.

For those Americans not tuned in to daily Trump news, the President-elect has recently threatened to use the American military to intervene in Greenland and the Panama Canal Zone, forcing Canada into American statehood, and renaming the geographic features of Denali and the Gulf of Mexico. None of that is going to happen in the next 4 years. So why does Donald Trump keep bringing it up? It is because he knows how well populism works.

Successful populists understand that an issue, no matter how ridiculous, has value if the masses embrace the idea. In this age of Facebook, X, TikTok, and all the others, Populists can thrive, and Donald Trump excels at it. It does not even take all that many people to affect public discourse as it is now more often determined by social media algorithms. Modern social media amplifies the voices of those who support and oppose the message until it is the top result in everyone’s news feed.

Unsurprisingly, many of President Trump’s supporters believe that the United States has the right to use its hulking military and outsized economy to make demands of other countries — even its allies. It does not mean that all Americans or even all Trump supporters embrace such ideas themselves, but that’s irrelevant. Until two weeks ago, I never heard of anyone broaching the notion that the Gulf of Mexico should be renamed the “Gulf of America.” However, now the idea has been embraced by a small, vocal percentage of his MAGA supporters because they believe Donald Trump can do no wrong. To them, “America First” actually means “America can do whatever it wants without consequences.” Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Donald Trump’s biggest cheerleaders, even promised to bring a bill before the United States House of Representatives, making such a name change official on United States maps. Strange, how only three months ago, Trump supporters claimed the 2024 election was the most important in history, and for “the soul of America,” but now they are laser-focused on cartographic labels.

Populism has always been a successful way to win elections. It rallies the support of partisans and drives voter turnout, all while distracting electors from the important issues. Populism is not a new idea, or even exclusive to the Republican party. Democrats have historically also told the American people what they wanted to hear on numerous occasions, however, Donald Trump excels at it.

The irony of Trump’s recent comments is that he had campaigned on a more isolationist agenda, such as withdrawing from NATO, refusing to defend allies, and closing the border. One of the few things I liked about Trump was his complaint that the United States too often got involved in costly wars and stayed indefinitely without any real plan or exit strategy. He spoke about letting other countries self-handle their internal affairs, and for the United States to not waste its money and resources in costly military interventions. This is a populist position with an isolationist lean that attracts from both sides of the political spectrum.

Therein lies the scary “genius” of Trump’s brand of populism, because even if he does not truly believe or care for such issues, he has realized that many in his base embrace an imperialistic vision of America’s superiority. Additionally, so many in the MAGA movement believe in Trump’s infallibility, that holding two contradictory positions holds no political repercussions. He, simultaneously, can speak about pulling back from the international stage while giving political rallies that suggest the United States has the militaristic right to create what are essentially buffer zones. Trump’s rhetoric is permeated with parallels to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s justifications for the invasion of Ukraine and the constant meddling in the internal affairs of countries like Moldavia and Georgia. Creating a series of buffer zones and satellite states is one of the motivations for recent Russian aggression.

Also, it is important to remember the culture war that so many Conservatives believe they are engaged in— The War Against the ‘Woke’ Mind. War on Christmas, War on Life, War on Police, there is always a great war that needs to be fought “to save America.” Strangely, for many, that involves changing names to something pro-American from something they identify as un-American. If you don’t believe the Gulf of Mexico should be renamed to the Gulf of America, then obviously you hate America. It is irrelevant that such name changes have no economic value. This manufactured outrage is the end goal of most name changes. Anyone alive in the early 2000s will remember the movement to change the name of ‘French Fries’ to ‘Freedom Fries.’

All this brings us back to why these ridiculous ideas are dangerous. Most Americans roll their eyes and assume Trump is speaking off the cuff. However, populist ideas have the unfortunate habit of spreading, eventually seeping into the mainstream consciousness. While today it may be silly and laughable to think of Canada and Greenland being incorporated as states, Trump’s playbook will likely be co-opted by some unknown heir who will inject their unique populism into American politics. Whomever, this individual eventually turns out to be, they may decide that these are the important issues in 2028, 2032, and beyond. This is why prime ministers and presidents of these countries respond to it as a threat even if it is not taken seriously now. Many of Trump’s supporters cite his unpredictability as a positive trait not realizing that it is more of a destabilizing force within international politics. In twenty years, we may live in an America where our allies are not democracies and capitalist countries, but dictatorial regimes. Maybe America decides to reengage in its past imperialistic tendencies and invoke a 21st Century version of Manifest Destiny, as justification to conquer our neighbors. Again, it is unlikely, but not impossible.