4 days ago
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt received a quick history lesson on Monday after she made a wild claim about President Donald Trump.
Leavitt said Trump’s attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend shows he has the “strength” that his predecessors lacked.
“And nobody knows what it means to accomplish peace through strength better than President Trump,” she said during a Fox News interview. “He is the one who came up with that motto, and that foreign policy doctrine, and he successfully implemented it in his first term.”
But Trump isn’t the one who “came up with” the motto.
“Peace through strength” has been used in American politics for decades, including by 1964 Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater and, perhaps most famously, by President Ronald Reagan.
It’s the motto of the USS Ronald Reagan and has made frequent appearances in Republican campaign platforms since Reagan’s time.
As a concept, it dates back centuries, as far back as the Roman Empire.
Leavitt’s critics sent her back to school:
Leavitt is ridiculous - either impossibly dumb or an incredibly blatant liar. "Peace Through Strength" was the motto of the US 8th Air Force. Barry Goldwater used the phrase in campaign ads in 1964. And, most famously, it was a slogan of Reagan's. Trump did not come up with it. pic.twitter.com/oL3xDelaQS
— James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) June 23, 2025I’m sick and tired of a lot with this admin about many things, but one of the most annoying ones is the constant attempt to rip off others slogans and ideas and gaslight Americans that everything is Trump’s creation.
His need to constantly feed his ego about everything is his… https://t.co/rYpn6JAHnu
It would be laughable if it was not so sad. She has a college education and is a digital native...the combination is just amazing! The things you can find!
Google
AI
A library
A history class https://t.co/nDPMD362va
The phrase "peace through strength" is most commonly attributed to the Roman Emperor Hadrian (reigned 117–138 CE)
— Compass Vermont (@VTCommonGround) June 23, 202520 Years Of Free Journalism
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"Peace through strength" was a key foreign policy doctrine of President Ronald Reagan. Her lies are much worse when she's not wearing her cross.
— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) June 23, 2025
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