Xin Qiang & Diao Guoxuan，“Implication of “America First” for the Outlook of U.S.-Taiwan Security Relations in Trump’s Second Term”，Taiwan Studies，No.1，2025，pp.9-19

Abstract: Driven by the vision of “America First”, Trump’s Taiwan Strait policy during his second term will be characterized by strong populist conservatism of contemporary “Jacksonian Realism,” following the principle of “diplomacy serves domestic affairs” and “peace through strength”, and leveraging the Taiwan question as a strategic tool to contain China. The security cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan authority is bound to escalate, while featuring prominent transactional dynamics and issuelinkage tactics. Additionally, Trump’s capricious personality, divergence of policy stances within the administration, interference and provocation by the Congress, as well as the contradictions between the DPP authorities’ relies on and the Taiwanese public suspicions toward the U.S. will also have multiple impacts on the formulation and implementation of U.S. Taiwan policy, making the prospects of U.S.-Taiwan security relations during Trump’s second term more volatile and uncertain.

Key Words: “America First”;U.S. Taiwan Policy; U.S.-Taiwan Security Relations