Under a broadened definition of national security, presidential actions have been taken that would have been unimaginable only a decade ago.
In August 2019, amid an escalating trade war with China, then-US president Donald Trump fired off a series of tweets directing American companies to “immediately start looking for an alternative to China” and shift their manufacturing back to the United States. The demand sent stock markets into a tailspin and alarmed US businesses with exposure to China.
While Trump ultimately softened his stance, the threat underscored a disturbing reality that the world must face now that he is returning to the White House: the president has the power to sever ties with the world’s second-largest economy, and can do so on a whim.
