Other articles | The weight of ideas: Jacksonian ideology in Donald Trump’s foreign policy

Sonsoles Dieste-Muñoz, profesora asociada del área de Derecho Internacional Público y Relaciones Internacionales, Universidad de Burgos. sdieste@ubu.es ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4406-8683 

The return of Donald Trump in 2025 revives questions about the course that US foreign policy will take. This paper starts from the premise that a leader’s beliefs are important when it comes to understanding the foreign policies of states. It details the main foreign policy ideologies in the United States and identifies the key pillars around which these ideologies are built. Drawing on a systematic analysis of Trump’s speeches – made during the election campaign and his first term in office (2017–2021) – it concludes that his affiliation is with Jacksonian ideology. This categorisation is an invaluable tool for understanding the United States’ current role as the main global power and its impact on the dynamics of the international system. It also shines a light on the rationales behind action that otherwise might appear inconsistent.

Keywords: United States, foreign policy, foreign policy ideologies, Donald Trump, Jacksonian ideology, discourse analysis, foreign policy traditions

How to cite this article:  Dieste-Muñoz, Sonsoles. «El peso de las ideas: la ideología jacksoniana en la política exterior de Donald Trump». Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, n.º 141 (diciembre de 2025), p. 161-184. DOI: doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2025.141.3.161

Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, nº 141
Quadrimestral (Octobe-December 2025)
ISSN:1133-6595 | E-ISSN:2013-035X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2025.141.3.161

Reception date: 13.03.25   ; Acceptance date:  14.07.25

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