Sharper: Trump 2.0

Donald Trump's return to the White House is widely expected to reshape America's global priorities. With personnel choices and policy agendas that mark a significant break from the status quo, the Trump administration could redefine America's national security posture. CNAS experts are sharpening the conversation on what Trump’s appointments and policies mean for the future of the country. Continue reading this edition of Sharper to learn more.

Features

Katherine Kuzminski on Vox’s Today Explained

Katherine Kuzminski, deputy director of studies and director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at CNAS, joins Vox’s Today Explained to discuss President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of some unconventional people to his cabinet, including Fox News host Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense, and what the picks say about Trump’s national security agenda.

Trump 2.0’s Economic Security Agenda

Emily Kilcrease and Geoff Gertz switch from obsessing over the election to obsessing over the transition. They dig into what a Trump 2.0 presidency will mean for tariffs, sanctions, export controls, and technology competition–and how the rest of the world might respond.

What Trump Means for Europe with the Eurofile Podcast

For this special edition episode of Brussels Sprouts, Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend join forces with the Eurofile from the Center for Strategic and International Studies to reflect on the outcome of the recent United States presidential election with Max Bergmann and Donatienne Ruy. Listen in as they discuss what a second Trump term may mean for European, Ukrainian, and U.S. relations with Russia

Mike Waltz on Dealing with a Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan

Before he was named national security advisor for President-elect Donald Trump, then-Rep. Mike Waltz joined Richard Fontaine to discuss the Taliban's return to Afghanistan and the future of U.S. policy in the country.

Commentaries

How Trump Will Change the World
November 2024

A gray rhino—a predictable and long-foreseen disruption that is still shocking when it occurs—has crashed into American foreign policy: Donald Trump has won a second term as president of the United States. Despite polls predicting a nail-biter, the final results were fairly decisive, and although we do not know the precise composition of the new order, we know Trump will be at the top of it.

The Trump Administration Must Make Quantum Technology a Priority in the First 100 Days
November 2024

The United States’ long-standing supremacy in quantum technology—a bedrock of U.S. economic and national security—is in peril at an important inflection point. Quantum technologies are rapidly nearing market readiness and U.S. adversaries are more determined than ever to beat the United States to the quantum punch. But the change in administration presents a unique opportunity to reassert American leadership in quantum and shape a brighter future. The incoming Trump Administration can seize the moment by fully resourcing the Tech Hubs Program, passing the NQI reauthorization, and leveraging the power of the United States’ alliances.

Biden’s Gloves Can Finally Come Off to Help Trump End the Ukraine War
November 2024

Donald Trump has pledged to swiftly seek a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war. This is a worthy goal: The war has already killed or injured 1 million people and caused $500 billion of damage in Ukraine. It is also on a bleak trajectory, as Russia strives to exhaust Ukrainian forces in a bloody war of attrition. The Biden administration never put forward a plausible vision for ending the war. But it can help Trump’s worthwhile peace efforts by taking long-overdue steps that would strengthen Trump’s hand at the negotiating table.

In the News

Commentary and analysis from Richard Fontaine, Emily Kilcrease, and Jacob Stokes.