Taking Stock: GEOTECH AND ECONOMIC SECURITY POLICY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FIRST MONTHS OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

The Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress (CSPC) is pleased to release the latest GeoTech report: “Taking Stock: GeoTech and Economic Security Policy Developments in the First Months of the Trump Administration.”

The pace of policy developments in the first months of the second administration of President Donald Trump has surprised many observers, including those who had fully anticipated a significant shift of policy and in the workings of the federal government. Though much of the initial activity in the international economic sphere was focused on tariffs and trade conflicts, a significant number of policy changes were also introduced in the economic security field and in the realm of the geo-technological competition with China. These included changes to export control mechanisms and 5G network policies, as well as revisions and modifications to artificial intelligence strategies. There has also been some movement with regard to industrial policy, though much uncertainty remains about the future of Biden-era legacies such as the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act.

Overall, the period has been characterized by increased uncertainty, even though the initial volatility of the trade war has calmed down as elevated tariffs have been paused in recent weeks and the stock market recovered lost ground. It seems likely that this high level of economic ambiguity will also impact the administration’s economic security policy, at least for the foreseeable future. This report aims to take stock of the developments in the economic security and geo-technological realm in the first months of the Trump administration and to provide an outlook beyond these initial steps of potential future paths.