Source: Reason
by Matt Welch
“Trump’s declarative re-mounting of McKinley begins not with the 25th president’s performance as ‘Tariff Man,’ but rather with some straight-up imperialism: ‘[He] heroically led our Nation to victory in the Spanish-American War. Under his leadership, the United States enjoyed rapid economic growth and prosperity, including an expansion of territorial gains for the Nation.’ Not subtle, that. For McKinley and his Republican Party … industrial protectionism and colonial expansionism were logical sides of the same coin. … Given that Trump seeks to reassert American control over the Panama Canal, purchase the Danish island of Greenland, and make sure that no foreign power be permitted to interfere with arctic shipping routes, all while increasing tariffs on foreign imports which come into competition with American products, it’s no wonder that he’s a fan of the guy who successfully ran on that platform.” (01/31/25)
https://reason.com/2025/01/31/trumps-role-model-mckinley-tariffed-his-way-to-imperialism/