The Trump National Security Strategy
“All around me are familiar faces,
Worn out places.
Worn out faces.
Bright and early for their daily races,
Going nowhere.
Going nowhere.
And their tears are filling up their glasses,
No expression.
No expression.
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow,
No tomorrow.
No tomorrow.
And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad.
The dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had.
I find it hard to tell you ‘cause I find it hard to take.
When people run in circles it’s a very very,
Mad World.
Mad World.
Mad World.
Mad World.”
You have not heard from me in a couple of months. It is not because my affection for you loyal readers has waned. Nor is it because some terrible malady has befallen me, which seems to be what many of you automatically presume perhaps because of my advanced age. In actual fact, I’ve been quite healthy the last few months.
No, I have just taken on too much stuff to do and am in the process of lightening my load a bit. You may have become accustomed to receiving these missives weekly. Going forward, they will be closer to monthly. But, rather than respond to what’s in the news that week, I’m going to take deeper looks at issues, as this writing hopefully will demonstrate. They also will be longer to provide that depth.
With that brief introduction, here follows the meat of this month’s analysis.
The Trump administration released its “National Security Strategy” in November of 2025. It is an extremely important document that outlines the strategy by which this administration will make all foreign policy decisions for the next three, and hopefully seven years, should JD Vance win in 2028.
The media, as they are, won’t to do, basically ignored this because it is important and thoughtful. Much better to focus on the “destruction” of Obamacare (which should be destroyed but sadly is not) and how evil ICE agents are and whatever else Hakeem Jeffries deems to be the leftist talking point of the week. Whether you love it or hate this strategy, it is very important. This blog will attempt to do the media’s job for them and explain it.
National Security Strategy
Biden had no strategy for anything except getting enough money to keep Hunter living in the manner to which he had become accustomed. Obama had an “Asian pivot” as part of his turn away from Europe and towards Asia, although not much became of that. GW Bush’s strategy was upended by 9/11 and everything he did after that was guided by how he thought he could prevent another such attack, which he did.
Trump himself has likened this to a latter day Monroe Doctrine. So much so, he called the Donroe Doctrine.
Very Trumpian.
But his comparison is very apt. The Monroe Doctrine was drafted in 1823, obviously under president James Monroe. It was principally drafted by then Secretary of State John Quincy Adams. (It would not surprise me to find that current Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a hand in drafting this new doctrine).
At that time, much of the western hemisphere was dominated by colonies set up by European Powers including the UK, France, Russia, Spain and Portugal. Those countries had eyes on further expansion in the Americas. Relatively speaking, The US was a piddly little power in those days. The foreign policy of the US from 1815 until after World War II was very much dictated by trying to be the equal of those great European powers in one dimension or another.
The Monroe doctrine essentially laid out that the Americas, north, central and south, were in the US backyard and Europe should stay out of it. Accordingly, the US would not mess in European affairs, which were and always have been volatile.
The Donroe doctrine pledges a renewed focus on the Americas. But it does so in a world very different from that which existed in 1823. The US is no longer trying to be as powerful as Europe or to kick Europe out of the Americas. Those missions have been accomplished. But, it does want Russia and China to go play in regions closer to their own countries. And it does want the US to exert greater influence on these countries that are closest to home.
Recently, there has been much talk about the national security implications of energy resources and rare earth minerals and food and other natural resources. We rely on many places in Europe, Asia and Africa for much of this now. If Central and South America were properly developed, we would have little need for those resources from outside of our hemisphere.
Obviously, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans provide a major barrier to attack or invasion from Asia, Europe or Africa. So, securing the Americas as friendly territory protects the northern and southern flanks.
Put those two things together and you enhance national security. Hence the name of the document.
Although the document unquestionably prioritizes the western hemisphere as the area of primary foreign policy and security interest for the United States, it does not ignore the rest of the world.
It envisions China as a “rival” but not an “enemy.” While saying that the strength of the US military should “deter” China from wanting to take Taiwan, it is clear that war with China is to be avoided. Security in that region is not up to the US alone about should include Japan, Korea, Australia and others. In a clear differentiation from prior Republican Neo-Con views, the fact that China is communist is not a basis for continued hostility. In the aftermath of World War II, the focus of US foreign policy was to stop the spread of communism and eliminate it where it existed. In this new doctrine, that has changed. Whereas I’m sure no tears would be shed in the State or War Departments if China’s communist government were to fall, it is not an objective of the new policy. Not going to war with them is.
This is one of the major changes in this new policy. There is no ideological element to it. It seeks to do what is in the best interests of the United States and countries are not automatically enemies or friends because of their system of governance.
The fight against communism will now take place in New York, Seattle, Minneapolis, Portland, Dearborn and other places. But, that is a subject for another time.
The document talks about “Promoting European Greatness.” Even though arguably, the US is the child of Europe, the document talks as though Europe is a once promising child that has lost its way. Europe’s US parent must now help the child steer into the right path by leaving the child to make its mistakes and therefore recover more strongly from them. In other words, Europe needs to take care of itself, which it is currently not doing because it counts on dad to bail it out of its difficulties. Dad will now make Europe stand on its own two feet, which it is eminently capable of doing, and both father and child will be better for it.
If you want to read the National Security Strategy document for yourself, you can find it here.
Putting it into Action
When US forces captured Maduro, the media and leftist Democrats were shocked. I was not. I had read this document. I knew about the tilt to securing the Americas for America. The media and Democrats were busy trying to keep money flowing to their corrupt non-profit political donor organizations.
The US interest in Greenland. The support for Milei in Argentina. Wanting control and ownership of the Panama Canal back. Starving out the regime in Cuba. Columbia, Nicaragua, Chile. All these activities make sense when viewed through the lens of the new strategy.
By the way, what’s wrong with expanding the country? We did that continually through purchases and treaties and conquests for our first 180 years or so. But, we stopped doing that around 1960. Why? There are reasons having to do with taxes and welfare payments that did not exist to get in the way before. But, maybe there can be work arounds going forward.
Then of course, there is Canada and Mexico. I have become a big fan of Donald Trump and the actions of this administration. That said, he does step on his own objectives at times. Calling Canada the 51st state was an unnecessary “own goal” that caused proud Canadians to vote in the terrible Mark Carney as Prime Minister. I have followed Carney’s career in Canada and the UK for decades and find nothing of merit in it. That said, his terrible administration of that country is creating new secessionist movements in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Canada has important natural resources and a long border with the US.
As of this writing, the Trump administration says they have stopped the drug trafficking by sea. But, the land bridge from Mexico is still in operation. Depending on who you ask, President Sheinbaum is either scared of the drug cartels or is a part of them. Having an American president go into Mexico uninvited to deal with border issues is not a new idea. We had a full blown war in the 19th century and in 1916 president Wilson sent 10,000 American troops into Mexico to track down Poncho Villa. (The Villa expedition failed to get him). I would not be surprised if Trump orders attacks on the Mexican drug cartels. He will probably be fine if they continue to control Mexico, as long as they don’t play in the US. Again, this is not driven by ideology, but by the interests of the people of the US. In this case, dying from drugs and being murdered by cartels.
The left and the media would have you believe that Trump is a war monger because of his raid in Venezuela and bombing of Iran. Nothing could be further from the truth. One of the main tenants of this document is to avoid war through strength and through alliances that provide their own security. He is clearly doing all he can to try and stop the war in Ukraine. That said, the document makes it clear in my mind that US troops will not be used in Ukraine. That is Europe’s problem.
The media wants you to believe that the seizure of Russian oil tankers from Venezuela is increasing tensions with Russia. The message here to Russia is clearly don’t mess in our hemisphere. It’s not an invitation to war. Everyone understands that except CNN. Once more, don’t mess with Americans or American interests and we won’t mess with you.
Trump wants to be the peace president. He is using American power to promote and/or restore peace and to secure interests in the two American continents so that we no longer need to fight wars in the other five.
I frankly think this document is brilliant and long overdue. The world has changed a great deal since 1947. But, it has also change a great deal since 1989 and even 2001. In a phrase attributed both to George Washington and British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston, in foreign policy there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies. Only permanent interests.
Our interests are permanent. Those interests are best stated in the one sentence that is the preamble to the Constitution:
“We the people of the United States of America, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, so ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
But the US exists in a world with a bunch of other countries. In order to achieve what is set out in that preamble, we need to have a foreign policy that works to achieve those objectives.
To me, this new national Security Strategy, and the team of people implementing it, have a pretty good start. But, it is easy to write down objectives. We have all done it in our lives and in our business. Achieving them is another matter. This won’t be easy. But it is worth doing.
Other Matters Coming in the Months Ahead
This missive was obviously foreign policy related. But there are other things on my watch list for the future.
Economy: Republicans will not lose the Senate in 2026. But there is a better than even chance they lose the House. If they do, Trump’s agenda in Congress will stop dead cold and he, and every cabinet member, will be impeached. That is all they will do. Trump needs a good economy 10 months from now to keep the House. It’s a necessary but not sufficient requirement to keeping the House. It is clear to me (again, not to ABC News) on the plan to do that. No guarantee of course, that it will work. But, I’ll lay that out perhaps next month.
Civil War: The American Civil War began when South Carolina troops fired on a Federal installation at Fort Sumter in April, 1861. Tim Walz has threatened to use state national guard troops to drive out Federal ICE agents from Minnesota. Now, Walz is a candidate for the biggest moron currently in elected office. But that is how civil wars start when one set of armed units fires on another. It’s getting too close for comfort. But, Trump can’t back down, lest he cede the immigration issue to the left, which means ceding the country.
Climate Change: Remember that? Where did it go? Al Gore told us that there would be no ice left at the north pole by 2020. I think it’s still there.
Islamists: You are free to practice your religion in this country. That is as it should be. Amish do that, for example. But if Amish were to be elected to office and insisted that driving a car in front of them was racist and insulted their religion and therefore must be banned, we would not permit that. Islam and Sharia law are antithetical to democracy and western civilization and should not be allowed in government. Just look at England which has been impervious to foreign invasion for nearly 1000 years, but may fall internally to Muslim rule, where Sharia law has been imposed in many jurisdictions overturning English law. The world’s two greatest financial centers (London and New York) both have socialist Muslim mayors who oppose the very activity of those financial hubs. This is a Judeo/Christian country and it’s success is due to that foundation. You are free to live here, but not free to change it into your failed Islamic Republic, out of which nothing good has ever come.
California: I keep waiting for it to stop getting worse. Still waiting.
Music: Many (not all) of you have mentioned how much you enjoy the musical selections in these missives. If you like the Tears for Fears song that begins this blog, I commend to your listening what I saw on X that brought this song to my mind. It is an acoustic version of the song sung by one of the Tears for Fears founders, Curt Smith and his young daughter Diva. Diva has clearly learned to sing and play guitar from dad! It is beautiful in several dimensions. You can watch and listen here.
And since I’m not doing these as often, I will introduce you to a brand new country song, that is in the manner of the Cowboy Prayer I sent you in December. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I have an affection for the prairie. It is by Brandon Lake and Cody Johnson and is called “When a Cowboy Prays.”
“Hangs his hat upon a tree.
Bows his head, bends his knee.
Only asks for what he needs.
Jesus listens.A little bread for the table.
A little water, a little shade.
To forgive just as he has been forgiven.When a cowboy prays,
It starts raining in Oklahoma.
Long lost sons come home to mama.
And those stubborn horses break,When a cowboy prays.
It’s a whisper and a rumble.
It’s as strong as it is humble.
And this old world just ain’t the same,When a cowboy prays”
Great inspiring song. Look it up. It’s brand new.
Until next time, I remain respectfully,
Congressman John Campbell
Drive Fast & Live Free