Trump Puts U.S. Sovereignty First

Trump Puts U.S. Sovereignty First

To relatively little fanfare, when one considers the economic, political, and geopolitical implications, Pres. Trump withdrew the United States from 66 international organizations, agreements, and/or treaties covering a vast array of public policies.

H. Sterling Burnett for American Thinker 

In his 1796 Farewell Address, President George Washington advised the United States to avoid permanent alliances and “foreign entanglements,” urging the nation to prioritize its own interests, maintain neutrality, and foster trade without political ties. He admonished those who would follow him in office to “steer clear of permanent alliance with any portion of the foreign world."

Sadly, politicians rapidly proceeded to ignore Washington’s warning. Over the past 250 years, foreign entanglements in the form of international, bilateral, multilateral, and virtually global agreements have become commonplace. Nearly every administration, if not every administration, has negotiated and/or committed to some form of international “cooperation.”

Some of these agreements have likely advanced U.S. interests, but there is no question that each and every one of them has compromised U.S. sovereignty to some degree or another, legally limiting our nation’s course of action and domestic and geopolitical autonomy.

Rarely have presidents seized back U.S. sovereignty by pulling America out of agreements or treaties unilaterally. And certainly, no president in my lifetime or likely ever, has clawed back more American independence in a single day as President Donald Trump did on January 7, 2026.

To relatively little fanfare, when one considers the economic, political, and geopolitical implications, Trump withdrew the United States from 66 international organizations, agreements, and/or treaties covering a vast array of public policies.

Among the organizations and agreements Trump withdrew the U.S. from further participation in and, importantly, financial support for are:

• The Carbon-Free Energy Compact 
• Education Cannot Wait
• The Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories 
• The Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund 
• The Global Forum on Migration and Development 
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 
• The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property 
• The International Cotton Advisory Committee 
• The International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies 
• The Pan American Institute of Geography and History 
• The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe 
• The United Nations (UN) Department of Economic and Social Affairs 
• The U.N. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent 
• The UN Alliance of Civilization 
• The UN Human Settlements Programme 
• The UN Institute for Training and Research 
• The UN Population Fund
• The UN Register of Conventional Arms
• The UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination 
• The UN System Staff College;
• The UN University.

Many of these organizations and treaties promote unnecessary and dangerous restrictions on fossil fuel use, others promote population control, while others promote social justice agendas that many in the U.S. and the present administration reject.

Regarding just one treaty Trump withdrew from, the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC), the clawing back of U.S. autonomy and the saving of future U.S. resources was tremendous. Trump, of course, had previously withdrawn the United States from the Paris climate agreement. But, because President Obama didn’t treat it as a treaty, and America was still a party to the FCCC, which the Paris agreement flowed from, it was easy for President Biden to take us back into the agreement. Having now withdrawn from the FCCC, future presidents can’t bind us to any climate agreements or climate funding or resource commitments entered under the FCCC. The United States and other developed countries have squandered trillions of dollars on global climate efforts to no climactic effect. But it did result in restrictions on the types of homes that could be built, how people could farm, the types of appliances and cars one could use, and higher prices for travel and food. The FCCC was great at restricting personal choice but not so good at advancing personal well-being or prosperity.

We at Heartland have been fighting for more than 30 years for the United States to abandon the FCCC, and in a single day Trump got us out. If he had stopped there, it would have been a glorious day for freedom, but he didn’t. Trump advanced U.S. sovereignty in other ways against the climate cabal and across an array of other public policy issues areas.

A fact sheet released by the U.S. Mission to the U.N. Aid Agencies in Rome explained why Trump took this bold and sweeping action.

Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the withdrawal of the United States from 66 international organizations that... operate contrary to U.S. national interests, security, economic prosperity, or sovereignty.

RESTORING AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY: President Trump is ending U.S. participation in international organizations that undermine America’s independence and waste taxpayer dollars on ineffective or hostile agendas.

Many of these bodies promote radical climate policies, global governance, and ideological programs that conflict with U.S. sovereignty and economic strength.

By exiting these entities, President Trump is saving taxpayer money and refocusing resources on America First priorities.

Trump’s actions didn’t appear out of nowhere. Rather, they are one more embodiment of his longstanding “America First,” “Make America Great Again” philosophy and commitment. He believes, and I certainly concur, that reducing outside powers’ influence over U.S. domestic policy is a win for the American people, our economy, and our national security.

The end results of America abandoning bad treaties and agreements have yet to play out in full. But this action should prevent billions of taxpayer dollars from being spent on foreign boondoggles, many of which trickle down to fund our geopolitical enemies and interests and policies that undermine or run contrary to many average American’s interests and rights. Across a broad range of issues, it should also prevent foreign powers from restricting our leaders and industries’ choices. With these treaties no longer in place, American politicians can, as they should have always been doing, put Americans first, without first checking with international bureaucrats.

H. Sterling Burnett, Ph.D., (hsburnett@heartland.org) is the Director of the Arthur B. Robinson Center on Climate and Environmental Policy at The Heartland Institute, a non-partisan, non-profit research organization based in Illinois.

Image: White House