Donald Trump has promised to continue to arm Ukraine as he seeks a just and lasting end to the conflict. Marc A. Thiessen and General Jack Keane (ret.) explain how the administration can do this without spending taxpayer money.

On the other hand, Trump’s determination to increase tariffs on major US trade partners will impose serious costs on American consumers and businesses. In a new report, AEI economist Joseph W. Glauber explores the potential harms of heightened trade barriers to the US agricultural sector.

Pentagon reform must be an essential part of the administration’s broader efforts to strengthen American hard power. In a new AEI report, Mackenzie Eaglen shows how providing real military budgetary growth now can arrest our relative decline against military rivals and enable long-term savings and efficiencies.

Trump’s first few days in office have been in keeping with the assertive and partisan tone set in his inaugural address. In a survey of the political landscape, Yuval Levin highlights the dangers of over-reading the public mood and mandate, much as Joe Biden did in 2021.

The flurry of executive orders reflects the president’s commitment to wield executive power in novel and aggressive ways. Putting his actions in the wider context of presidential history, Jack Landman Goldsmith cautions that relying solely on hard power, at the expense of persuasion and consent, is unlikely to deliver long-term success or national unity.