From Defense to War: The “America First” Strategy
“In everything we do, we are putting the people first,” signed Donald J. Trump in his November 2025 National Security Strategy. Trump has maintained since day one, since 1/20/2017, that his mission is to compete, deter, and win. And too many Americans failed to pay attention, ignored the red flags, and refused to believe what they could see with their own eyes. In the words of George Orwell, “The [Republican] Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
The Department of War. Operation Absolute Resolve. Operation Midnight Hammer. Hard-nosed realism. The Trump Corollary, aka the Donroe Doctrine.
This administration is organizing a massive shift in messaging. The memo that changed the Department of Defense to the Department of War criticizes past leaders for “undermining our warfighter’s warrior ethos.” I served under the first Trump Administration, and I still have no idea what that means.
The memo praises Trump for restoring the U.S. military, turning it into one of the strongest, most lethal, and most capable military forces. “We will be our nation’s sword and its shield, always ready to be wielded decisively at the President’s direction, in service of his vision for lasting peace through strength,” signed Pete Hegseth. In the midst of all of this, they called a meeting of nearly all U.S. general officers, a major national security threat, and then called them fat and ineffective right to their faces. What a disgrace to our great nation.
The Risks of a Presidential Military
The documents lay out the core role of the Department of War. The logic is brutal but simple. The United States shall become so lethal that no one dares challenge us in the first place. Thus, Trump’s “Golden Age” is not predicated upon improving the lives of U.S. citizens; it is about being the most powerful person in the world. From the Roman era to the British Empire, the “golden age” has been used to project strength, often as institutions weakened. Just look to USAID, the Department of Education, and the National Institute of Health for examples of just that, weakening institutions. These declarations are never about progress. This rhetoric is about power and control of the American people.
Section two of Trump's security strategy reads “What Should the United States Want?” Trump says we should want to recruit, train, equip, and field the world’s most powerful, lethal, and technologically advanced military to protect our interests, deter wars, and if necessary, win them quickly and decisively. This is not what we want. I know I am not alone when I say that what is happening in our country right now is unsettling. The government is hyper-focused on lethality and power consolidation, and it is blatantly violating the Constitution. Not only is it disturbing, but it is misaligned with the best interests of the American people. Not once on the doors canvassing my neighbors, or phone banking across the District, have I heard a voter express that they want a more lethal military. What I do hear are concerns about the illegal deployment of troops and spending taxpayer dollars on dropping bombs in the desert and engaging in conflicts overseas.
The “Donroe” Doctrine & Overexerting Military Force
The Trump Corollary/Monroe Doctrine 2.0/Donroe Doctrine, at its core, attempts to deny competitors access to key terrain in the Western Hemisphere. It gets specific, listing the Panama Canal, the Gulf of “America,” and Greenland. The action clause of this policy states that if Canada, Central, or South America cannot or will not do their part and handle threats, then the U.S. reserves the right to act unilaterally. In other words, the American military can act anywhere in the western hemisphere, in any country, for any reason, without seeking the permission or assistance of our allies or neighbors. Let’s explore Operation Absolute Resolve, for example. We can start with the laughable pretext for kidnapping President Maduro and his wife. America didn’t invade to liberate Venezuelans; we “acted” because the regime was responsible for bringing narcotics into the U.S. To say that another way, we were justified in kidnapping a sitting president of a sovereign nation because we allege that he violated U.S. law. Let that sink in.
Then we have Operation Midnight Hammer. This operation purports to allow the U.S. to strike anywhere and anytime, while leaving our “allies” to do the fighting on the ground. We use Israel as our model ally. The U.S. clears the strategic roadblocks that the ally cannot handle alone, and in exchange, our ally spends 5% of its GDP on defense. But what happens when they don’t? What does America First mean then?
What I Believe & What Tom Cole Thinks
In a recent phone interview with KOKH Fox 25 News in Oklahoma, regarding the attack on Venezuela, Cole was asked if he thought the operation was really about drugs or oil. Cole answered “both.” Then followed with stating, “this was literally about sending a message, not just to Maduro and Venezuela but to other people engaged in illegal activity.”
When pressed about this form of messaging and asked about any concerns regarding the ramping up of military efforts and Congress’s involvement, or lack thereof, Cole was not worried. He says Congress will be involved, but does not think they need to know more going in. Instead, he thinks we need to know a lot more about the path going forward. And there you have it. Ladies and gentlemen, Tom Cole, Chairman of Appropriations, allocated billions of taxpayer dollars to a department operating with a half-worked-out plan, with “the concept of a plan.” And this is why I am running. You deserve a Representative who serves the District, not the president.
Frankly, I believe we have a nonsensical foreign policy. We have a president who believes that he has the right to use the United States military to kidnap a sitting president, Venezuelan President Maduro, or to violate U.S. law. Yet, he pardoned Juan Orlando Hernandez, former president of Honduras, who was in a U.S. federal prison on the exact same charges. While Trump continues to prioritize his America First agenda, American businesses are failing, working families are struggling, access to basic healthcare is becoming scarce, and inflation is surging. My message to Trump is simple: worry about our domestic economy, ensure basic healthcare for our citizens and children, invest in public schools, and obey the Constitution. That is an America First agenda. Let’s worry about improving this country, rather than signaling to the world that we are looking for the next fight.
My beliefs are quite simple and align with Americans across the country: every nation has the right to protect its domestic and strategic interests; no country has the right to wage genocide, commit indiscriminate war crimes, or target civilians. Supporting Israel’s current genocide and kidnapping a sitting president violates these beliefs.
The Army taught me always to put the mission first. The Army also taught me never to accept an illegal order. And in a congressional hearing, I will be willing, ready, and able to push back on that rhetoric that escapes accountability and responsibility. This I pledge.
