Trump, Ike and the Myth of the Military-industrial Complex
It is hard to think of any U.S. president that Donald Trump resembles less than Dwight D. Eisenhower. Yet Trump managed to evoke the comparison this week, when he charged that senior American military officials...
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<iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-M7XS4M" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe> Subscribe Donate Search for: Subscribe Donate Search for: Our Experts All Scholars Agricultural Policy Studies Economics Education Foreign and Defense Policy Health Care Housing Legal and Constitutional Opportunity and Social Mobility Politics and Public Opinion Society and Culture Technology, Science, and Energy Our Work Browse by Policy Area: Economics Education Foreign and Defense Policy Health Care Housing Legal and Constitutional Studies Opportunity & Social Mobility Politics and Public Opinion Science, Energy, and Environment Society and Culture Technology and Innovation Browse by Product: AEIdeas Articles & Op-Eds Books Research Podcasts Initiatives Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility Center for Technology, Science, and Energy Critical Threats Housing Center National Affairs The American Enterprise The Center for the Future of the American University The Survey Center on American Life Events Upcoming Events Past Events About About AEI Press President’s Page Careers For Students Internships Contact General Contact: 1789 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 200036 Main telephone: 202.862.5800 Main fax: 202.862.7177 Press Inquiries: Press Department Press Email: [email protected] Press Phone: 202.862.5829 Trump, Ike and the Myth of the Military-industrial Complex Hal Brands by Hal Brands Senior Fellow September 11, 2020 Op-Ed | Bloomberg Opinion Foreign and Defense Policy Latest Work 05.15.2026 | The Age of Nuclear Coercion Is Just Beginning 05.11.2026 | This Trump-Xi Summit Will Actually Matter 04.29.2026 | The Iran War Is Drawing Some Allies Closer to the US 04.22.2026 | US Allies Are Becoming All-Star Weapons Sellers 04.13.2026 | The Iran War Has Finally Shattered America’s World 04.02.2026 | Missile Warfare Is Faster, Deadlier, and Harder to Control It is hard to think of any U.S. president that Donald Trump resembles less than Dwight D. Eisenhower. Yet Trump managed to evoke the comparison this week, when he charged that senior American military officials are more interested in serving the interests of arms manufacturers than in serving the interests of the U.S. The military, he said, advocates war “so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy.” For some observers, the allegation brought to mind Eisenhower’s farewell address in January 1961, in which he cautioned that a mighty “military-industrial complex” could “endanger our liberties” and strangle the American economy. Since then, Eisenhower’s speech has been cited by critics who warn that an expansive foreign policy will ruin the nation’s prosperity and freedom alike. Yet just as Trump was wrong in arguing that Pentagon officials are motivated by greed rather than patriotism, Eisenhower — a far wiser leader — was more wrong than right about the military industrial-complex. Read more in Bloomberg Opinion here. Latest Work 05.15.2026 | The Age of Nuclear Coercion Is Just Beginning 05.11.2026 | This Trump-Xi Summit Will Actually Matter 04.29.2026 | The Iran War Is Drawing Some Allies Closer to the US 04.22.2026 | US Allies Are Becoming All-Star Weapons Sellers 04.13.2026 | The Iran War Has Finally Shattered America’s World 04.02.2026 | Missile Warfare Is Faster, Deadlier, and Harder to Control About About AEI Organization and Purpose Leadership Annual Report AEI Archive Scholars Find a scholar by policy area: Agricultural Policy Studies Economics Education Foreign and Defense Policy Health Care Housing Legal and Constitutional Opportunity and Social Mobility Politics and Public Opinion Society and Culture Technology, Science, and Energy Policy Areas Economics Foreign and Defense Policy Technology and Innovation Society and Culture Health Care Politics and Public Opinion Opportunity and Social Mobility Education Legal and Constitutional Studies Technology and Innovation Science, Energy, and Environment Housing Contact American Enterprise Institute 1789 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036 Main telephone: 202.862.5800 Main fax: 202.862.7177 Donate Subscribe © 2026 American Enterprise Institute | Privacy Policy
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