Podcast Summary: Letters from an American

Host: Heather Cox Richardson
Episode Date: December 6, 2025
Episode Theme: A deep analysis of the Trump administration’s newly released 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) and its break from decades of U.S. foreign policy.

Episode Overview

In this episode, Heather Cox Richardson reads and analyzes the Trump administration’s release of the 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS). The NSS, published quietly and without the usual public attention, marks a stark departure from previous U.S. foreign policies, notably casting aside the post-WWII rules-based international order. Richardson places the new NSS in historical context, elucidating its ideological foundations and implications for international relations, particularly in relation to Europe, Russia, NATO, and Latin America.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A Quiet but Radical Release

• [00:06] The Trump administration released the 2025 NSS late at night, diverging from the tradition of publicizing such documents with fanfare.
• The NSS is a dramatic reworking, signaling the U.S. withdrawal from the post-WWII international order.

“The Trump administration's NSS announces a dramatic reworking of the foreign policy the U.S. has embraced since World War II.”
—Heather Cox Richardson [00:25]

2. Rejection of International Alliances and Multiculturalism

• [01:34] The authors argue foreign engagement has undermined America, proposing restoration of “spiritual and cultural health” rooted in traditional values and familial structures.
• The NSS stakes a vision of American greatness in the glorification of the past and traditional families.

3. White Nationalist Undertones

• [02:02] Reference to “NSC 88” hints at white supremacist symbolism, while immigration and climate initiatives are explicitly rejected.
• The document frames opposition to international organizations as defense of sovereignty, but also as a means to curtail immigration and progressive policies.

“Observers referred to the document as National Security council report or NSC 88…White supremacists use 88 to refer to Adolf Hitler and 14 words to refer to a popular white supremacist slogan.”
—Heather Cox Richardson [02:02]

4. Pivot from Europe to Russia

• [02:57] The NSS distances the U.S. from traditional European allies, warning that continued migration imperils European civilization and undermines NATO.
• Russia is notably not described as a security concern—another dramatic departure from previous doctrine.

“In contrast to their complaints about the liberal democracies in Europe, the documents authors do not suggest that Russia is a country of concern to the U.S.—a dramatic change from past NSS documents.”
—Heather Cox Richardson [03:46]

5. Abandoning the Rules-Based International Order

• [04:27] The U.S. aims for preeminence in the Western Hemisphere, emphasizing “commercial diplomacy” and actively discouraging Latin American nations from alliances outside the hemisphere.
• The strategy includes direct government action to prioritize American business interests, presenting this as a “Trump corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.”

6. Historical Context of the Monroe and Roosevelt Corollaries

• [05:51–10:59] Richardson provides rich historical context, explaining that while the original Monroe Doctrine sought to protect new Latin American republics from European colonization, the Roosevelt Corollary justified U.S. interventions but still acknowledged Latin American independence.
• The new Trump corollary is positioned not as protection for Latin America, but as a mandate for U.S. economic dominance.

“Now Trump has added his own Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, promising not to protect Latin American countries from foreign intrusion, but to reward and encourage the region's governments, political parties and movements broadly aligned with our principles and strategy.”
—Heather Cox Richardson [10:59]

7. Military and Economic Strategy in the Hemisphere

• [11:49] The U.S. military’s focus shifts from Europe to Latin America, with commitments to use lethal force to secure the border and defeat drug cartels, while extracting strategic resources with compliant regional partners.

8. Implications: Spheres of Influence and Declining Western Alliances

• The document represents an embrace of pre-WWII spheres of influence, a vision notably supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• Cited experts call this NSS a “propaganda document” and “performative suicide” for U.S. global influence.

“The new National Security Strategy is a propaganda document designed to be widely read. It is also a performative suicide. Hard to think of another great power ever abdicating its influence so quickly and so publicly.”
—Anne Applebaum, quoted by Heather Cox Richardson [12:38]

“The transatlantic relationship as we know it is over.…The west as it used to be no longer exists.”
—Ulrika Franke, quoted by Heather Cox Richardson [13:55]

9. The End of the Old NATO Paradigm

• [13:55]–[14:18] Heather reports that, per Reuters, Pentagon officials are informing European diplomats the U.S. expects Europe to assume most of NATO’s defense responsibilities by 2027, essentially formalizing the American pivot away from Europe.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the philosophical core of the new NSS:

  “Their vision of our country's inherent greatness and decency requires the restoration and reinvigoration of American spiritual and cultural health, an America that cherishes its past glories…”
  —Heather Cox Richardson [01:34]

• On the new Trump corollary:

  “The U.S. government will identify strategic acquisition and investment opportunities for American companies in the region and present these opportunities for assessment by every US Government financing program…”
  —Heather Cox Richardson [04:27]

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 00:06 | Release & radical departure of the new NSS | | 01:34 | Cultural and spiritual restoration, white nationalism| | 02:57 | U.S. pivots from Europe to Russia | | 03:46 | Russia not seen as a U.S. security concern | | 04:27 | New vision for Western Hemisphere dominance | | 05:51 | Historical background: Monroe Doctrine | | 10:10 | Roosevelt Corollary explained | | 10:59 | Introduction of the Trump Corollary | | 11:49 | U.S. military and economic policy in Latin America | | 12:38 | Expert assessments: ending transatlantic alliance | | 13:55 | Pentagon directs Europe to assume NATO’s defense |

Tone and Analysis

Richardson’s analysis is both historical and urgent, combining narrative clarity with concern for the profound changes underway in U.S. policy. Her tone is analytical and accessible, making the complex shifts of global alliances and strategies clear—even for listeners without a deep background in foreign policy.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in understanding the dramatic shifts in American strategy and identity under the Trump administration’s latest National Security Strategy.