While stylistic differences exist between the Biden and Trump administrations, a fundamental continuity in American foreign policy—centered on military power projection and great power competition—persists. Joël-François Dumont dissects here Donald Trump’s “Peace through Strength” doctrine, highlighting its transactional nature and his personal quest for the Nobel Peace Prize as a validation of his anti-liberal approach to international relations. Both Biden’s or Trmp’s administrations, despite radically different styles, consistently employ military power projection as a core instrument of U.S. foreign policy. The fundamental divergence lies in the objective of this power: Biden seeks to uphold the liberal multilateral order, while Trump aims to dismantle it for transactional, unilateral gains. The USS Gerald R. Ford thus serves as a potent symbol adaptable to two contrasting visions of global engagement, while addressing enduring strategic imperatives, particularly confronting Russia in the Arctic.
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