The next president must recognize Americans’ unwavering support for int’l leadership, engagement

As Donald Trump and Kamala Harris make their closing arguments to voters around the country, both candidates must contend with an undeniable truth: Americans across the political spectrum favor strong U.S. leadership in the world. Regardless of who wins the presidential election and takes office in January, he or she would be wise to recognize this clear mandate from the American people.

The American public’s commitment to an internationalist foreign policy is unwavering in recent years amidst chaos and conflict around the world, as shown in six years of consistent data from the Reagan National Defense Survey.

Since 2018, the Ronald Reagan Institute has conducted an annual nationwide public opinion poll assessing Americans’ views on a wide array of defense, foreign policy, and national security topics. One message we have heard loud and clear: a rock-solid preference among the American people for U.S. leadership and engagement on the global stage. Even as public opinion has shifted on the particulars of some foreign policy issues, many core principles receive consistent support year on year.

When asked whether the United States should be more engaged and take the lead or be less engaged and react to world events, a majority favors American engagement. Across six years of polling, there has always been a preference for global leadership—and in recent surveys, more and more Americans want the United States to take the lead, now up to 54 percent, from 40 percent in 2022. On a bipartisan basis, the American people have a clear preference for internationalism over isolationism.

Americans also consistently support our forward-deployed global military presence. A remarkably constant supermajority of about two-thirds of Americans has favored the United States maintaining military bases around the world to deter attacks and provide a quick response. Almost eight in ten Americans, including majorities across party lines, favor increased defense spending, a figure that has remained consistent since 2018. Despite the four decades since President Ronald Reagan was in office, his philosophy of peace through strength still resonates with the American people.

The American public maintains a steadfast commitment to standing by our allies and partners. Since 2018, about six in ten Americans have consistently reported having a favorable view of NATO. And they support NATO’s core principle of collective defense, with almost three-quarters saying United States should respond militarily if a NATO ally was attacked.

On Ukraine aid, our polls have shown rock-solid support for sending U.S. weapons. Since 2022, around 60 percent of Americans across party lines want the United States to provide military aid to Ukraine—debunking speculation of “Ukraine fatigue” among the public.

This is what international leadership and engagement looks like. While foreign policy may seem distant, it is not abstract. And the broad, bipartisan mandate is clear. Over 80 percent of Americans believe that a strong U.S. military is crucial for peace and prosperity, both at home and abroad; 78 percent agree that American leaders is essential to promote trade and boost the economy; and 77 percent say the United States has an obligation to champion human rights and democracy whenever possible.

While support for these core principles has remained steadfast, we have seen a remarkable shift when it comes to threat perception—particularly vis-à-vis China. A steadily rising percentage of Americans view China as the country posing the greatest threat to the United States.

In the most recent Reagan National Defense Survey, released last December, 51 percent of Americans identified China as the top threat, up from just 21 percent in 2018. This shift reflects growing public concern about China across every domain: its military build-up, technological advancements, economic engagement, human rights abuses, and global ambitions.

And yet, over half of Americans say that the United States does not have a clear strategy for managing its relationship with China. Beyond the bipartisan consensus that we are engaged in a great power competition, the next president should articulate how our country and the free world can win that contest.

On the eve of the 1980 election, then-candidate Ronald Reagan made foreign policy part of his closing argument, saying, “Many of us are unhappy about…our diminishing prestige around the globe, about the weakness in our economy and national security that jeopardizes world peace, about our lack of strong, straightforward leadership…I believe we can embark on a new age of reform in this country and an era of national renewal.”

Now, facing similar circumstances, Americans desire a renewed commitment to strong U.S. leadership and international engagement, the approach that has long safeguarded peace in a dangerous, turbulent world. Whoever steps into the Oval Office in January should heed this call.

Rachel Hoff is Policy Director at the Ronald Reagan Institute, the Washington DC office of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. Thomas Kenna is the Policy Associate at the Ronald Reagan Institute’s Center for Peace Through Strength and the Center for Freedom & Democracy