Kennedy's creation of USAID in 1962 reflected a superpower confident in its moral vision and values, using foreign aid as a tool to project strength and prevent the need for military intervention—a stark contrast to Trump-era America that projects contraction, grievance, and ethno-nationalism.
factualpending
Speaker
Ben RhodesEvidence Quote
“JFK era that produced usaid had this expansive vision of America and the world uh as a country that defended Freedom as a country that buttressed International institutions that we've created and as a country that had to wage battles for the hearts and minds of people particularly in the newly liberated postcolonial societies around the world [3:40]”
Source
Ben Rhodes: The Warren and Anita Manshel Lecture in American Foreign Policy— Weatherhead Center for International AffairsCreated: 8/11/2026, 7:39:48 AM
My Notes
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