The new president’s pronouncements indicate a rejection of isolationist policies.
William McKinley, a largely forgotten US president, is primarily remembered for his assassination and for being overshadowed by his successor, Theodore Roosevelt. Few recall McKinley’s significant expansion of US global influence through the annexation of Hawaii and the acquisition of territories following the Spanish-American War, including Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
McKinley’s image appeared on $500 bills issued in 1928 and 1934, but these are now collector’s items. The inclusion of his portrait was during the presidency of fellow Republican Calvin Coolidge, another largely forgotten president.
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Trump’s recent invocation of McKinley concerns the renaming of Mount Denali in Alaska. Originally known as Denali (“The Great One”) by locals and “Bolshaya Gora” (“Big Mountain”) by Russian settlers, it was renamed Mount McKinley decades after the US purchased Alaska. This renaming was reversed in 2015 by President Obama.
Trump’s executive order reinstates the name Mount McKinley, justifying it as honoring “visionary and patriotic Americans.” He cited McKinley’s “sacrifice for our nation” and his “legacy of protecting America’s interests and generating enormous wealth.” Simultaneously, he renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
Trump’s actions, along with his previous statements about Greenland and Panama, suggest a revival of “imperial” rhetoric. This approach avoids direct military intervention while prioritizing US interests, a departure from isolationism and representing a less predictable foreign policy.
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