Donald Trump Adopts William McKinley's Protectionist Economic Model

Donald Trump has shifted his presidential admiration from Andrew Jackson to William McKinley, signaling a transition toward aggressive protectionism and expansionism in his second term. By citing McKinley, known as the Napoleon of Protection, the president is establishing a historical framework for high import tariffs and a U.S.-first economic order.

To institutionalize this shift, Trump issued a Day 1 order restoring the name of Mount McKinley and installed a West Wing portrait titled The Tariff Men, depicting himself alongside McKinley, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Clay. Beyond economic policy, Trump has echoed McKinley's era of expansion by discussing the potential acquisition or invasion of territories, including Canada, Panama, and Greenland.

White House officials describe the move as a more aggressive application of executive power intended to benefit working-class Americans rather than a departure from previous goals.