BLUF: The Return of President Trump

Election Day 2024 is behind us and, despite predictions of a lengthy wait for results, former President Donald Trump cruised to an election night victory, becoming only the second president in history to have won non-consecutive terms, a feat last accomplished by Grover Cleveland in 1893. We’ll save the election talk to the countless pundits who will be in your ear over the coming days/weeks/months, but the conversation over what Trump 2.0 means for national security is already raging, and we’re here for it.

While the foreign policy vision for a second Trump term does not seem as uncertain as it was in 2016, the transition to come on January 20th promises a stark contrast from the status quo developed under the Biden Administration.

President-elect Trump has committed to end the war in Ukraine before ever setting foot (again) in the White House. He has fully backed Israeli independence in charting the course of its ongoing conflicts and is set to usher in a more transactional foreign policy program than his successor and predecessor; one built on a healthy skepticism for international multilateralism.

All the while, our adversaries such as Russia, China, and Iran continue to work in concert, further aligning their long term foreign policy objectives through the development of robust military, economic, research, and intelligence cooperation.

While we try to make sense of these shifts and realign our priorities heading into inauguration day, the machinery of our national security continues to grind away. Our troops remain deployed overseas, our intelligence officers still carry out their operations, and our diplomats continue to work diligently despite the uncertainty that comes with a new administration. 

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