Statements by the new commander-in-chief show that he will not go down the path of isolationism
Until this week, few people remembered [former US President] William McKinley. When they did, it was mostly for two reasons. Firstly, he was one of the US presidents who was assassinated, shot by an anarchist who saw him as the embodiment of American capitalism. At that time, anarchists killed political leaders indiscriminately, regardless of whether they ruled over monarchies or republics; similar fates befell the French president, the Italian king, and even the Empress of Austria-Hungary. Secondly, McKinley was succeeded by a far more memorable president, Theodore Roosevelt.
Many forget that it was during McKinley’s presidency that the US significantly expanded its global influence — annexing Hawaii and, following a victorious war with Spain, asserting control over Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam (the latter two are still classified as “unincorporated organized territories” of the US). However, McKinley’s presidency was overshadowed by Roosevelt’s more vibrant legacy as a politician and his direct involvement in combat in Cuba.
McKinley’s image appeared on the $500 bills printed in 1928 and 1934, which circulated until 1945. However, these banknotes are now collector’s items rather than practical currency. While theoretically they are legal tender, any bank receiving such a bill is obligated to submit it to the US Treasury for destruction.
McKinley’s portrait on the $500 bills was introduced during the presidency of fellow Republican Calvin Coolidge – another US president who is largely forgotten today.
And now, seemingly out of the blue, Trump has invoked McKinley’s name in relation to the highest peak in North America – Mount Denali in Alaska. The locals called it “Denali” (meaning “The Great One”) and Russian settlers referred to it as “Bolshaya Gora” (Big Mountain). In an effort to promote American influence on the continent, a few decades after the Americans bought Alaska, they called the peak Mount McKinley in honor of the new president. Alaskans, who were concerned about local interests and not global ambitions, didn’t care much about the new name. A process to restore the mountain’s original name, Denali, began in the 1970s and culminated in 2015 when then-President Barack Obama signed the appropriate executive order.
Now, in an unexpected move, Trump has signed a new executive order, calling for the mountain to be renamed Mount McKinley. He justified this by stating, “The naming of our national treasures, including breathtaking natural wonders and historic works of art, should honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans in our Nation’s rich past.” He claimed that the order recognizes McKinley for “giving his life for our great Nation and dutifully recognizes his historic legacy of protecting America’s interests and generating enormous wealth for all Americans.”
At the same time, Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, marking the end of the era of political correctness. The fact that Trump remembered McKinley, who expanded US territory, aligns with his previous statements regarding Greenland and Panama.
The US president seems to be reviving an old “imperial” rhetoric, which notably avoids direct intervention in international conflicts (recall how cautiously America engaged in the First World War) but maintains the idea that the US should always emerge the winner. It’s not the old isolationism favored by some Trump supporters who want to focus solely on domestic issues; rather, it’s an even older, and far less predictable, perspective.
