Podcast Summary: Is there a Trump Doctrine? Making Sense of US Foreign and Security Policy Since Trump’s Return to the White House

Podcast: LSE: Public lectures and events
Episode Date: November 19, 2025
Panelists:

• Prof. Ronald Krebs (University of Minnesota)
• Dr. Catherine Miller (LSE)
• Dr. Luca Tardelli (LSE)
• Dr. Bhram Lee (LSE)
  Host: Dr. Rohan Mukherjee (LSE)

Overview

This panel addresses the question: "Is there a Trump Doctrine?" The discussion explores whether Trump's return to the White House marks a coherent, underlying narrative for US foreign and security policy, or whether it is more ad hoc and personality-driven. The event features an in-depth lecture by Prof. Ronald Krebs, followed by responses from LSE faculty focusing on themes of historical analogy, political agency, trade doctrine, and the narrative strategies underpinning Trump-era policy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

What Is a Doctrine? (Prof. Ronald Krebs, [03:10–21:00])

• Doctrine as Narrative:
  US presidents are expected to articulate foreign policy doctrines—organizing principles that communicate US intentions and align the federal bureaucracy.
• The Myth of Doctrinal Consistency:
  Throughout the Cold War, "containment" was a flexible—often contradictory—concept. Later presidents (Clinton, Obama) struggled to anchor US policy in new doctrines after the Cold War.

Quote:

"Doctrines and grand strategy, they're not rigid plans of action. They provide the principles that inform action." (Krebs, [19:13])

• Doctrine and Storytelling:
  Narrative acts as the “universal human way of making sense of the world." Doctrines organize chaos, establishing a cast of characters and causal links.

The Trump Doctrine: Structure and Narrative ([21:00–38:46])

• Trump’s Doctrine as 19th Century Nostalgia:
  • Trump’s vision is “nostalgic,” seeking a return to a time that never really existed. He romanticizes the late 19th/early 20th century: a rising, white, Christian America exercising imperial ambition.
  • Trump rejects the bipartisan celebration of the post-World War II order, viewing it as a “raw deal” that “bled America dry.”
• Isolation and Transactionalism:
  Unlike previous presidents, Trump’s worldview is hierarchical, transactional, and separated into “peers and subordinates,” rather than ideologically aligned “friends” and “enemies.”
• Policy Examples:
  • Obsession with manufacturing and natural resource extraction aligns with 19th century sources of American wealth and power.
  • Emphasis on tariffs, limiting immigration, and domestic rollback on civil rights echoes America’s segregated and exclusionary past.
• Danger of the Narrative:
  Trump wields a "19th century vision" with "21st century state capacity," making the doctrine particularly potent and dangerous.

Quote:

“Trump is a 19th century man. But what makes him so dangerous is he has the tools of a 21st century state at his disposal.” (Krebs, [28:26])

• Limits and Hypocrisy:
  Unlike 19th century America, Trump does not favor shrinking federal power; rather, he expands executive authority, especially in military and coercive matters.

Quote:

"Trump has shown zero interest in eroding those parts of the state that bequeath to him the power to coerce his enemies." (Krebs, [36:03])

Panel Responses and Further Analysis

1. Conspiracy, Hyper-Agency, and the “18th Century Man”

Dr. Catherine Miller ([38:58–47:15])

• Trump’s worldview is not just nostalgically 19th century—it channels an 18th century “hyper-agency,” where political outcomes are imagined as the product of powerful individuals’ conspiracies, not complex structures.
• This “conspiratorial epistemology” denies structural causes (inequality, racism) in favor of identifying villains (domestic or foreign ‘others’) to punish.

Quote:

“The implicit theory of politics visible in his policies rests on the belief that the world is controlled by hyper-agential powerful men.” (Miller, [44:25])

2. Nostalgia vs. Delusion and the Limits of Trump’s Historical Analogy

Dr. Luca Tardelli ([47:59–57:54])

• Trump’s selective nostalgia overlooks the radical changes and contradictions of the 19th century, including emancipation and progressivism.
• Trump’s narrative is “reactionary,” seeking to roll back perceived decline, and ignores the fact that 19th century US power was unsteady and contentious.
• Raises questions about Trump’s nationalism, his selective memory of American history, and whether his ‘doctrine’ is truly new or enabled by earlier shifts (e.g., post-9/11 global war on terror).

Quote:

“There is a fine line between nostalgia and delusion.” (Tardelli, [58:01])

3. Trump and Trade Doctrine: Securitization and Narrative Power

Dr. Bhram Lee ([58:13–66:14])

• Trump’s narrative of trade is a radical shift—tariffs are tools for justice, and foreign countries with trade surpluses are cast as villains.
• The narrative erases the complexity of transnational alliances (e.g., labor) and simplifies global economics into “us vs. them.”
• Biden’s administration lacks a compelling counter-narrative, failing to identify a “clear villain," which weakens its public resonance.

Quote:

"It's not a communication problem or an information problem. It's a story problem. They just do not have a clear villain." (Lee, [65:33])

Q&A Highlights

Spheres of Influence & G2 with China ([66:43–70:31])

Krebs:
Trump's worldview isn't one of great power concert or shared management with China; rather, he seeks Latin American dominance and otherwise prioritizes access to markets over broader global management.

Quote:

“Trump and Xi get together and imagine a napkin, like Churchill and Stalin divvying things up — I have yet to see that napkin.” (Krebs, [70:07])

Nationalism, Charisma, and Media ([67:49–75:06])

• Nationalism and Charisma:
  Trump’s charismatic, villain-centric narrative is central, much as it was for authoritarian leaders elsewhere.
• Media and Misinformation:
  Trump’s direct communication (social media) avoids mediation, and demonizes mainstream outlets. Panelists argue US information policy vacuums have enabled misinformation and narrative dominance.

Quote:

“All of that is understood to be an authoritarian approach to information … but it’s also worth thinking about how the lack of regulation in the US has facilitated Trump’s rise.” (Miller, [74:19])

Taiwan, Ukraine, Palestine – Trump’s Endgame ([75:10–81:35])

• Trump’s pursuit of “personal glory” shapes his foreign entanglement, but he is ultimately fatalistic and transactional, with little sustained interest in grand strategy.

Multipolarity and the 19th Century: Is Trump Ahead of the Curve? ([76:04–81:35])

• Panel debates if the world is truly multipolar and whether Trump’s embrace of a hierarchical order is well-suited to the era.
• Tardelli: Skeptical that Trump wants true multipolarity or great power concert due to his distaste for multilateralism.

Quote:

“I don’t think he wants a multipolar world. I don’t think … he looks for this kind of concert of great powers because that would require recognition for everybody.” (Tardelli, [80:17])

U.S. Public Opinion and Trump’s Appeal ([77:44–89:24])

Krebs:
Trump’s appeal is rooted more in his tone, nationalism, and narrative clarity than in the unpopularity of his policy details—his support is aggregate, not on specifics.

Quote:

“What people really appreciate about Donald Trump, what they find attractive is the tone, the pugnaciousness, the nationalism — but the details themselves… are deeply unappealing.” (Krebs, [89:13])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Nostalgia is always deeply conservative and revolutionary at the same time.” (Krebs, [22:50])
• “Trump’s public persona seeks to act and become a hyper-agent, to inhabit and exist as the great man…” (Miller, [46:58])
• "If I have to understand Trump, it seems to me that nationalism is a very important key." (Tardelli, [57:34])
• “It’s a story problem. They just do not have a clear villain that is stronger and cohesive and credible to the American public’s eyes.” (Lee, [65:34])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:10–21:00]: Prof. Krebs on the historical idea of doctrine and narrative.
• [21:00–38:46]: Krebs outlines the Trump Doctrine as 19th-century nostalgia.
• [38:58–47:15]: Dr. Miller—Trump and “hyper-agency,” conspiracy epistemology.
• [47:59–57:54]: Dr. Tardelli—Historical analogy, nationalism, power.
• [58:13–66:14]: Dr. Lee—Trade policy, narrative competition.
• [66:43–81:35]: Q&A—spheres of influence, nationalism, media, soft power, multipolarity.
• [84:49–89:24]: Final reflections—Trump’s narrative, public appeal, and legacy.

Conclusion

The panel concludes that, despite popular beliefs of chaos or incoherence, there is a Trump Doctrine—a narrative vision evocative of late 19th-century American nationalism: hierarchical, transactional, exclusionary, and obsessed with power. Trump’s narrative resonates not because of its detailed policy, but because of its clarity, emotive villains, and “us versus them” framing—a significant departure from postwar American internationalism. The panelists urge sustained attention to how narrative, rather than policy detail, shapes popular support and international outcomes.

For further exploration:

• Consider the importance of narrative over doctrine in 21st-century politics.
• Observe how the politics of nostalgia and the search for villains fuel contemporary populism.
• Investigate how narrative shapes the public’s engagement with trade, security, and foreign policy in the US and beyond.