Foreign Policy Live

What’s Behind Trump’s Expansionist Instincts?

Oct 24, 2025
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Greg Grandin explores Trump’s foreign policy, tracing its roots to American expansionist ideals inherited from the Founding Fathers. He argues Trump selectively revisits historical narratives to suit his agenda, likening his presidency to a 'scarcity president.' Grandin discusses the implications of U.S. sanctions on Russia and how Trump’s approach revives 19th-century gunboat diplomacy. He also highlights the contrast between U.S. and Latin American political traditions, shedding light on contemporary international relations.
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INSIGHT

Selective Historical Borrowing

  • Trump "rummages through the trash bin of U.S. history" and borrows symbols that suit him.
  • He mixes expansionist rhetoric with a domestic focus on the border and the wall.
INSIGHT

Frontier As Safety Valve

  • The U.S. uniquely fused the ideal and reality of territorial expansion from its founding.
  • The frontier promised limitlessness and served as a safety valve for social tensions.
INSIGHT

Scarcity President Concept

  • Grandin calls Trump a "scarcity president" because limitless expansion is no longer viable.
  • Iraq, the 2008 crash, and climate change made the frontier myth untenable.
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