Will Trump’s ‘Manifest Destiny’ succeed?

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Will Trump’s ‘Manifest Destiny’ succeed?

Published: 20 Mar. 2025, 00:05

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Kim Sung-jae

The author is a professor of department of business and accounting at Furman University.

In 1846, U.S. President James K. Polk dispatched troops to the Rio Grande near Texas. A decade earlier, in 1836, Mexico had lost Texas but refused to recognize its independence, insisting that the Nueces River, not the Rio Grande, marked the border. When American troops advanced into the disputed territory, Mexican forces responded, leading to a skirmish that left 11 U.S. soldiers dead.

Polk seized the opportunity, rallying Congress with the inflammatory cry, “American blood has been shed on American soil,” and urging lawmakers to declare war in retaliation. But his ambitions extended far beyond mere retribution.

The flags of Mexico, the United States and Canada fly in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on Feb. 1. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Polk is remembered as the president who systematically and aggressively pursued the doctrine of Manifest Destiny, a term first introduced by journalist John O’Sullivan in 1845. O’Sullivan believed in America’s divine mission to spread freedom and capitalism across the continent — essentially, the imperative to expand westward.

To wrest vast western territories from Mexico, Polk needed war. Over the course of more than two years, United States forces dominated most battles, and by the war’s end, American territory had expanded by nearly 30 percent.

The United States' expansionist drive did not stop there. In 1898, the U.S. battleship Maine mysteriously exploded in Havana Harbor, killing 260 sailors. The American press fueled conspiracy theories, pointing the finger at Spain, which, at the time, ruled Cuba. At the same time, a leaked letter from the Spanish ambassador deriding the U.S. president as weak further inflamed American sentiment against Spain.

President William McKinley declared war. U.S. troops landed in Cuba, and the Navy swiftly decimated the Spanish fleet. Spain surrendered within months, ceding Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines to the United States. That same year, the United States annexed Hawaii, firmly establishing itself as a dominant maritime power.

Today, former President Donald Trump has floated the idea of incorporating Canada as the 51st U.S. state and has suggested that America should purchase Greenland. Such remarks cast him as a modern proponent of territorial expansion, echoing the ideology of Manifest Destiny.

U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters after signing an executive order, "Unleashing prosperity through deregulation," in the Oval Office on Jan. 31, in Washington. [AFP/YONHAP]

However, Trump’s vision is not solely about imperial expansion. At its core, his true ambition lies in resurrecting the United States as a formidable industrial powerhouse. His ultimate goal is to restore the manufacturing-driven economic dominance America wielded in the 19th century.

The pillars of Trumponomics — tariff hikes and tax cuts — are both rooted in this industrialist agenda. Yet achieving reindustrialization is a daunting challenge in today’s economic landscape, where global supply chains are largely centered around Asia. Moreover, his policies risk undermining the international standing of the U.S. dollar itself.

Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.