The silence shattered in an instant. In a rapid-fire burst of carefully calibrated remarks, Donald J. Trump tried to seize the national narrative—on war and peace, markets and money, power and trust in American institutions. Diplomats took notice. So did generals, traders, and voters. Because beneath the polished language was a blunt signal: pri… Continues… Trump’s latest statements form less a collection of talking points than a single, ambitious narrative about American power. Abroad, he pairs overt support for alliances and deterrence with pressure for burden-sharing and economic leverage, signaling that diplomacy, defense, and trade are now inseparable tools. From...
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