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The foreign policy of Donald Trump in historical perspective

Trump has cited William McKinley as a role-model, but a much closer resemblance is to Richard Nixon. In his policies towards both allies and adversaries, Trump owes a debt to Nixon, notably to the twin "shocks" of 1971 and the triangular diplomacy with Moscow and Beijing. However, the 2020s differ in many ways from the 1970s. There are clear risks to dusting down Nixon's playbook.

Please note that this event is part of the America's Changing Role in the World lecture series, taking place over the 2025-26 academic year.

This lecture series marks the United States’ semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

  • Portrait image of Sir Niall Ferguson

    Sir Niall Ferguson FRSE, is the Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is the author of 16 books, including The Pity of War, The House of Rothschild, and Kissinger, 1923-1968: The Idealist, which won the Council on Foreign Relations Arthur Ross Prize. He is an award-winning filmmaker, too, having received an international Emmy for his PBS series The Ascent of Money. He is a columnist with the Free Press and a regular CBS News contributor. In addition, he is the founder and managing director of Greenmantle, a New York-based advisory firm, a co-founder of the Latin American fintech company Ualá, and a founding trustee of the new University of Austin.

  • Peter Trubowitz

    Peter Trubowitz (@ptrubowitz) is Professor of International Relations, and Director of the Phelan US Centre at LSE and Associate Fellow at Chatham House, Royal Institute of International Affairs.

This event was held on 7 May 2026.

This event was held on 7 May 2026