Trump may end America’s place as 'the world’s preeminent cultural and economic force': analysis

When Never Trump conservatives are asked why they supported now-President Joe Biden in 2020 and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in 2024, many of them cite foreign policy as one of their top reasons. Biden and Harris, with their aggressive support of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), are — as many Never Trumpers see it — more Reaganesque on foreign policy than President-elect Donald Trump, who they view as dangerously isolationist.

Another main reason is Biden and Harris' views on trade; the vice president was highly critical of Trump's tariff proposals during her campaign. Never Trumpers see Trump as having protectionist views that are a huge departure from traditional Ronald Reagan/Barry Goldwater conservatism.

Democrats won the popular vote in the most of the United States' post-1980s presidential elections; the exceptions were President George W. Bush in 2004 and Trump in 2024. In this year's close election, Trump won the popular vote by roughly 1.4 or 1.5 percent (according to the Cook Political Report).

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In a think piece published by Politico on December 6, author/journalist Joshua Zeitz argues that Trump's victory marks the end of "the American Century" and a time when the U.S. was "the world's preeminent cultural and economic force."

"Donald Trump's second presidential victory represents a sharp break, and perhaps a permanent one, with the American Century framework," Zeith emphasizes. "It's a framework that rested on four key pillars."

Those pillars, according to Zeitz, are: (1) "a rules-based economic order that afforded the U.S. free access to vast international markets, (2) "a guarantee of safety and security for its allies, backed up by American military might," (3) an increasingly liberal immigration system that strengthened America's economy and complemented military and trade partnerships with the rest of the non-communist world," and (4) "an America that valued — and exported to the rest of the world — its technical and artistic skills."

"Whether Trump can or will pursue his agenda remains to be seen," Zeitz explains. "But it's also beside the point. It's what nearly 50 percent of voters just endorsed — steps that would both dismantle and repudiate the American Century framework. Maybe that's not a bad thing."

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Zeitz continues, "At its worst, that framework resembled what scholars refer to as 'imperialism by invitation'…. But the American Century framework has defined the nation's trajectory for well over 80 years. For good or bad, it undeniably made the United States a very prosperous and powerful country."

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Joshua Zeitz's full essay for Politico is available at this link.