The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg The U.S. at War | Interview: Aaron MacLean
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Dec 3, 2025 Aaron MacLean, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and host of the School of War podcast, dives deep into Trump's foreign policy coalition. He identifies four factions shaping his approach, from traditional Republicans to MAGA populists. Discussing the tension around support for Ukraine, he contrasts populist and isolationist views. MacLean also highlights the implications of modern defense technology and the U.S.'s engagements in the Caribbean, stressing the importance of historical memory amid current geopolitical strategies.
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Four Schools Shape Trump Foreign Policy
- MacLean identifies four distinct foreign-policy schools inside the Trump-era coalition: isolationists, MAGA populists, traditional Republicans, and Trump himself.
- Understanding those camps explains contradictory actions like hawkish moves and simultaneous outreach to Russia or Venezuela.
MAGA Vision: Post-Liberal Concert Of Powers
- MAGA populists often favor disengagement from current wars but want a post-liberal global order aligning great powers against liberalism.
- That worldview can make them comfortable with deals that leave Ukraine weaker if it breaks liberal alliances.
Don't Push Unacceptable Peace Terms
- Avoid rushed, low-quality diplomatic texts that impose unacceptable demands on partners, as the leaked 28-point document did for Ukraine.
- Ensure proposals are acceptable to the counterpart before publicizing them to prevent damaging trust and credibility.