Conflict in the international system in the time of Trump: Strategic narratives in White House daily newsletters

Abstract

During the Trump administration, official daily newsletters served as an important form of communication between the President and his constituents. These newsletters provided an overview of how the Trump Administration perceived conflict in the international system, the role and characteristics of the United States and other actors, and policy priorities. These newsletters, 1600 Daily, West Wing Reads, and Resolute Reads, provided a unique and important data source for understanding the Trump administration’s strategic narratives on the international system, especially in the realm of conflict. This article analyzes 810 daily newsletters from March 2017 to March 2020 to assess the administration’s narratives about the international system and several areas of conflict including relations with North Korea, Russia, and China. As the past four years of the Trump presidency saw tensions increase in many areas of American foreign policy, it is necessary to understand the narratives that shaped the Trump administration’s combative approach to diplomacy. The authors find that the strategic narratives of the Trump administration took a unilateral, transactional, and zero-sum approach to foreign policy. The newsletters reflected a prioritization of conflict with long-held allies and a focus on competition with enemies who undermine US dominance in the international system, mainly China and Russia. Within this discussion of foreign policy, this research additionally found a significant emphasis on trade policy, set within a conflictual, mercantilist framework. These newsletters set out conflictual strategic narratives that sought to shape the international system.