FnF News
FNF News | National Affairs & Defense
Published: June 17, 2025
By: Khadija Khan, Senior Columnist
America First Means Peace — But Patriots Follow When Called
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Across the country, a quiet but powerful sentiment is taking hold once again: America First does not mean isolation. It means strength through sovereignty, peace through patriotism, and loyalty not to party, but to country — and to the Commander-in-Chief.
As foreign tensions escalate in the Arctic and South Pacific, and rumors of international provocations swirl, Americans are faced with a defining question: Can we be anti-war and still stand firmly behind our military leadership? For many, the answer comes down to one core principle.
“I want peace. I don’t want war. But if our Commander-in-Chief calls, I’ll answer. Because real Americans — real patriots — do not abandon their country,” said Staff Sgt. Blake Whittaker (Ret.), a veteran of Iraq and a current organizer for the New American Vets PAC in Texas.
A Legacy of Reluctant Power
Donald J. Trump, once criticized for being too soft on foreign entanglements, has always framed his military stance around one simple doctrine: “Peace through strength.” Under his leadership, U.S. combat operations declined globally, and historic peace deals were brokered in the Middle East.
But Trump was never a pacifist.
“We don’t go looking for wars,” Trump said at a Veterans for America First event in Jacksonville this week. “But if someone threatens our homeland, our allies, or our future, we will strike — and they will remember it.”
This doctrine resonates with millions of working-class Americans who reject endless wars but believe in decisive, overwhelming action when national security is on the line.
Greenland, Taiwan, Baja: The New American Flashpoints
In recent months, the Trump-led administration’s focus has shifted to regions many Americans hadn’t considered vital to national interest: Greenland, Taiwan, and Mexico’s northern corridor.
Critics claim Trump’s vision of expanding the “Golden Dome” hemispheric defense shield is overly ambitious. Supporters argue it’s long overdue.
“What if Pearl Harbor never happened because the Pacific was already under our watch?” asked Lt. Col. Marcus Dean (Ret.), a Trump advisor on Arctic security. “That’s what the Golden Dome is — the most advanced defense perimeter in history. And if Greenland joins, they join under that protection.”
But tensions with China over Taiwan and escalating cartel activity at the U.S.-Mexico border are pushing these plans into urgency. Trump’s latest executive order to deploy enhanced radar and AI-based missile defense units in Alaska and Baja California has sparked heated debate.
America First = Peace First. But Not Peace at Any Price.
The America First doctrine has always walked a fine line — rejecting globalist adventurism while defending U.S. sovereignty fiercely. It’s what distinguished Trump from neoconservatives like John Bolton and Dick Cheney. But now, even some anti-war conservatives are rethinking the limits of restraint.
“Nobody wants war. But no country survives by sitting still while enemies gather,” said Congressman Byron Donalds during a recent floor speech. “Patriots don’t cheerlead wars, but they sure as hell don’t run from them when the flag’s on the line.”
Veterans’ groups, especially in swing states like Ohio and Arizona, have largely supported the nuanced approach: war as the last resort, but loyalty to leadership always.
A Commander Worth Following
What separates Trump’s vision from his predecessors is not just military reform or defense spending — it’s trust. His base believes in him not because he craves conflict, but because he avoids it whenever possible. And when he doesn’t, it’s serious.
“When Biden bombed Syria, it was politics,” said Air Force veteran Lindsey Camara, speaking at a FNF-hosted town hall. “When Trump strikes back, it’s strategy.”
A Patriot’s Dilemma, A Nation’s Resolve
For average Americans, especially veterans and rural working-class voters, the message is clear: they don’t want war — but they will fight one if it’s for America.
The streets aren’t full of draft-dodging protests like in the 1970s. Instead, there’s an eerie calm, a sense that real patriots don’t announce their loyalties in marches — they prove them in silence, in readiness, and in their trust in the Commander-in-Chief.
Sources:
- Department of Defense Briefing Notes (May 2025)
- Trump Speech Archives — Veterans for America First, Jacksonville
- FNF News Town Hall Transcripts, Houston & Des Moines
- Reuters: “AI-Based Arctic Defense Installations Begin Deployment”
- Congressional Record: Rep. Byron Donalds Speech, June 12, 2025
- Fox News: “Trump Golden Dome Policy Overview”