Abstract:
This Individual Study examines how the Jacksonian tradition influences Trump’s trade war against China between 2018 to 2020. The Jacksonian tradition emphasizes the importance of the government and its role as a protector of people, culture, and identity of the United States. This research argues that the US foreign policy and the US domestic affairs are intertwined and influenced by the Jacksonian tradition. The domestic source that is responsible for the upsurge of Jacksonian tradition and the Trade War can be linked to the resentment of the political elitists and their upper-class bubbles who Jacksonian supporters are suspicious of. Jacksonian argued that these groups are benefiting from controlling politicians and media, and their representatives are not acting in the interests of the people. Jacksonian, therefore, is responsible for the rise of Donald Trump to the US presidency as he accumulated his supporter base from these resentments. To maintain the supports from his base, Trump and his administration followed through with his campaign’s promises, to protect American lives and properties through economic protectionism and renegotiations with its allies, and thereby, escalated the trade disputes into a trade war against China.
