When Donald Trump launched his 2016 presidential campaign, the paleoconservative "America First" views that he expressed echoed Patrick Buchanan's isolationism and were a major departure from the hawkish Republican presidencies of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. And now-Vice President JD Vance echoed the "America First" outlook when, in July 2024, he said he didn't "really care what happens to Ukraine, or way or another."
But veteran GOP strategist Karl Rove, in an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal on December 10, argued that American voters aren't as isolationist as America First proponents would like. And the article is getting a rave review from former Vice President Mike Pence.
On X, formerly Twitter, Pence described Rove's op-ed as a "great essay," noting that Rove addresses the question: "How isolationist are Trump's voters?"
"The newly released White House National Security Strategy raises again the question whether Americans are turning isolationist," Rove explains. "A recent poll suggests they aren't."
The poll that Rove references was conducted by the Ronald Reagan Institute.
"The 2025 survey produced some surprising results," Rove observes. "Sixty-four percent of Americans believe it's better for the U.S. to be more engaged and take the lead. Only 33 percent think it's better for the country to be less engaged and merely react to events. The partisan breakout was also counterintuitive. Seventy-nine percent of self-identified MAGA Republicans and 57 percent of Democrats supported greater U.S. engagement. Nor are Americans turning their backs on Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Sixty-eight percent view NATO favorably, the highest share since the Reagan Institute began polling in 2018."
Rove continues, "Even more, 76 percent, support U.S. military force if a NATO ally is attacked, up from 71 percent in June. Most Americans — 59 percent — oppose withdrawing from NATO. Only 34 percent support leaving, and 1 in 5 withdrawal supporters changed their minds after being told NATO allies are increasing military spending."
Karl Rove's full Wall Street Journal op-ed is available at this link (subscription required).
