There’s a belief in MAGA circles that America is being exploited by the world — that free trade, alliances, global security commitments, and the current international order are burdens rather than advantages. It sounds intuitive: fewer obligations, fewer costs, America “comes home.” But when you actually look at how power, wealth, and security work in the real world, the opposite is true. The United States benefits enormously from being at the center of the global system — and there is no realistic alternative that makes America richer, safer, or stronger.
Free trade is not charity. It is leverage. The U.S. doesn’t just “participate” in global trade — it sets the rules. American companies gain access to billions of consumers, extract profits from every primary market, and dominate high-value sectors such asmajor technology, finance, aerospace, energy services, and advanced manufacturing. The dollar is the world’s reserve currency not by accident, but because the U.S. sits at the heart of global trade and finance. That status allows America to borrow cheaply, run deficits without collapse, and fund a military no other country can afford. That is not a cost — it is an extraordinary privilege.
What often gets ignored in these debates is how enormous Europe’s contribution to American power actually is. Europe is the United States’ most significant economic partner, its largest source of foreign investment, and one of the biggest generators of American corporate profit. European companies employ millions of Americans, invest trillions of dollars in U.S. industry, infrastructure, and technology, and help keep American wages, stock markets, and tax revenues high. At the same time, U.S. companies extract massive, recurring profits from the European single market — one of the wealthiest consumer markets on Earth. This isn’t charity flowing toward Europe; it’s a deeply integrated economic engine that directly powers American growth, innovation, and financial dominance.
The current global order overwhelmingly favors the United States. Shipping lanes are open, contracts are enforced, capital flows freely into American markets, and crises elsewhere push investors toward the U.S., not away from it. When instability hits Europe, Asia, or the Middle East, money doesn’t flee America — it floods into U.S. Treasury bonds, U.S. real estate, and U.S. companies. That’s not a weakness. That’s what it looks like to be the system everyone relies on.
American naval power is a perfect example. The U.S. Navy doesn’t patrol the oceans out of generosity. It does so because controlling sea lanes means controlling global commerce. Over 80% of world trade moves by sea. By guaranteeing maritime security, the U.S. ensures that international trade flows through a system it dominates, insures, finances, and profits from. China’s rise didn’t happen despite U.S. naval dominance — it happened under it, inside rules America designed. That means China grew in a way that benefited American consumers, companies, and capital markets far more than it harmed them.
Alliances are not handouts; they are force multipliers. NATO, Pacific alliances, and security partnerships allow the U.S. to project power cheaply and prevent wars before they start. Instead of fighting major wars every generation, America stations relatively small numbers of troops forward, deters aggression, and keeps conflicts local and manageable. The cost of preventing wars abroad is a fraction of the cost of fighting them later — especially if they reach American soil or disrupt global trade.
The idea that America would save money or gain freedom by pulling back misunderstands how dominance works. Withdrawal doesn’t reduce responsibility — it invites competition. If the U.S. steps away, others don’t step aside; they arm up. Trade fragments. Shipping lanes become contested. Regional powers test boundaries. The world becomes more militarized, not less. And in that world, America would be forced to spend more on defense, not less — to protect its trade, currency, and homeland.
Most importantly, the global system amplifies American strengths. The U.S. doesn’t need to conquer territory to dominate — it dominates through standards, finance, technology, culture, and markets. American law firms, banks, tech platforms, payment systems, and corporations operate everywhere because the system is open and American-led. Tear that system down, and you don’t get independence — you get a more negligible, poorer, angrier world where American influence shrinks instead of expands.
This isn’t about trusting other leaders or liking foreign governments. It’s about understanding incentives and structure. The United States is rich, secure, and powerful because it sits at the center of the global order. Free trade, naval dominance, alliances, and international engagement are not sacrifices America makes for others — they are investments that pay America back many times over.