The Manifestations, Motivations, and Impacts of "Weaponization of Narratives" in the Trump Era.

Key Chapter Title List

1. Specific Manifestations of Trump 2.0 Narrative Weaponization
2. Creating a New National Interest Narrative Agenda to Broaden Deterrence Boundaries
3. Using Pressure as the Axis to Transform Geopolitical Hotspots into Deterrence Tools
4. Asymmetric Pressure on Non-State Actors
5. Generative Drivers of Trump 2.0 Narrative Weaponization

Document Introduction

With Donald Trump's return to the White House and his high-profile declaration that America's golden age has begun, U.S. strategic narrative has entered a new phase of adjustment. However, this golden age narrative, used for external publicity and explaining the new administration's policies, has transcended conventional persuasion and communication, exhibiting a clear tendency toward weaponization. Its essence is a hegemonic act by the United States, leveraging its discursive power advantage, using narrative as a vehicle to frequently conduct deterrence and intimidation externally to safeguard U.S. national interests. This paper aims to provide an in-depth analysis of the specific manifestations, underlying drivers, and broad impacts of narrative weaponization in the Trump 2.0 era.

The report first systematically elaborates on the specific forms of narrative weaponization. This is not mere verbal deterrence but relies on an overarching strategic narrative framework, reshaping intimidation stories to increase the pressure and response costs for target entities, thereby forming a coherent systemic deterrence. It manifests specifically at three levels: First, by packaging territorial expansion and trade tariffs as a new national interest narrative agenda, it broadens the issue boundaries of deterrence, thereby eroding the interests of other nations. Second, with pressure as the axis, it deliberately amplifies the security threats of geopolitical hotspot issues such as the Iran nuclear issue and the Ukraine crisis, escalating local tensions into collective panic to force compromises from relevant countries. Third, leveraging America's absolute advantages in economy, military, and technology, it implements asymmetric narrative deterrence against non-state actors (such as multinational corporations) like SpaceX, transnational automobile manufacturers, and TSMC, compelling them to increase investment in the U.S. or adjust their strategies to align with American interests.

Secondly, the report analyzes the driving factors behind the phenomenon of narrative weaponization. This is a product of historical inertia, contemporary contradictions, and individual will. Specifically, its drivers stem from the triple effects of the historical inertia of American discursive hegemony, the increasingly polarized trend of domestic social sentiment, and the exaggerated personality traits of Trump himself. The long-held international discursive hegemony of the United States provides a structural foundation for its weaponization operations, domestic political and social divisions provide fertile ground for adversarial narratives, and the leader's unique operational style directly catalyzes this process, presenting it with a high-intensity, broad-ranging offensive discursive posture.

Under the offensive of narrative weaponization, the foundation of trust within the international community's network of interdependence is being eroded. The frequent U.S. use of narrative for deterrence exacerbates chains of suspicion between nations, making cooperation based on common interests more difficult. Simultaneously, a trend of path dependence in U.S. narrative deterrence is gradually emerging, meaning a habitual reliance on discursive hegemony and deterrence methods to solve problems, which may weaken its capacity to handle international affairs through diplomatic mediation and constructive dialogue.

Ultimately, this trend may lead to a decline in the effectiveness of U.S. alliance strategies. When allies continuously face narrative pressure and unilateral coercion from the U.S. on security and economic issues, the cohesion and mutual trust within the alliance will be tested. In the long run, over-reliance on weaponized narratives to maintain hegemonic interests may damage the stability of America's relationships with allies and partners, thereby shaking the foundations of its global strategic layout. Based on an analysis of the Trump administration's public statements, policy actions, and international reactions, this report provides a professional analytical perspective for understanding the discursive power games in contemporary great power competition.