President Trump also became the first American leader since Ronald Reagan not to start a war.

The 2017 National Security Strategy states that the United States faces a global security environment in which it must respond to threats, but it does not announce any new war for the United States to enter. It is an official first-term Trump administration strategy document and a primary source for the administration’s defense posture.

During Trump’s first term, the United States carried out multiple military actions, including the 2017 strike on Syria’s Shayrat air base and the 2020 killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. The article explicitly says that while no major wars like Ukraine or Gaza started during Trump’s time in office, his years were "hardly free of major international conflicts."

The article describes Trump’s first term as involving airstrikes in Syria, escalating involvement in Yemen, expanded military operations, and the killing of Qasem Soleimani. It supports the point that the period included military actions, while not necessarily the outbreak of a formally new war.

Throughout his initial term, President Trump condemned endless wars, but the piece lists multiple military actions during that period, including airstrikes in Syria and operations elsewhere. It frames his first term as involving raids and airstrikes rather than the initiation of a brand-new large-scale war.

During his first term, President Donald Trump was the first U.S. president in decades to not commit the military to new foreign campaigns, instead continuing wars and operations he inherited from his predecessors, including interventions in Iraq, Syria and Somalia. The Trump administration often used economic pressure against international adversaries such as Venezuela and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

President Donald J. Trump's first war seemed a short one. To many, it commenced on April 7, 2017 (local time) and, after fifty-nine cruise missiles struck, seemingly ended the same day. The president received good marks for the stunning strike against the Syrian air base, with many members of the foreign policy establishment applauding his attack as a means of punishing Bashar al-Assad's regime for its use of chemical weapons.

This report lists the beginning and ending dates for "periods of war" found in Title 38 of the Code of Federal Regulations, dealing with the Department of Veterans Affairs… The dates for the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are included along with the official end date for Operation New Dawn in Iraq on December 15, 2011, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan on December 28, 2014, and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel on September 30, 2021. Operation Inherent Resolve continues along the Syrian-Iraqi border effective October 15, 2014. On August 21, 2017, President Donald Trump announced his strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia… Per the agreement, which was signed on February 29, 2020, the United States committed to the withdrawal of “all military forces of the United States, its allies, and Coalition partners… from Afghanistan by the end of April 2021.”

Global War on Terror (Oct 2001 – Sept 2021). The Global War on Terror (GWOT), including Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), was an ongoing conflict. It ended on September 11, 2021, the twentieth anniversary of the attacks. Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) Oct. 7, 2001 – Dec. 28, 2014; Operation Freedom’s Sentinel (Afghanistan) Dec. 28, 2014 – Aug. 31, 2021. Operation Iraqi Freedom Mar. 19, 2003 – Aug. 31, 2010; Operation New Dawn (Iraq) Sept. 1, 2010 – Dec. 15, 2011. America’s wars have been financed in various ways, from taxes to bonds to printing or borrowing money.

Yet President Trump does not want another long-term U.S. military engagement in the Middle East—or in any other region, for that matter. Pundits may gin up fear over the idea that this administration will get the United States into a war, but it is clear that Americans have a president who, while not afraid to use military power (just ask the Islamic State, the Taliban, or the Assad regime), is not eager to use it, either. Overwhelming military force will always be a backstop for protecting the American people, but it should not be the first option. … We do not seek war.

Twice took decisive military action against the Assad regime in Syria for the barbaric use of chemical weapons against innocent civilians, including a successful 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles strike. … Defeated 100 percent of ISIS’ territorial caliphate in Iraq and Syria. … Killed the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and eliminated the world’s top terrorist, Qasem Soleimani. … Negotiated an extended ceasefire with Turkey in northeast Syria.

During his first 100 days in office, it has become clear that President Donald Trump views military force as his primary—if not only—foreign policy tool. From a botched special operations raid in Yemen to a cruise missile strike against an Assad-regime airfield in Syria, Trump has proven more than willing to order America’s armed forces into action. … Yemen: Trump authorized a botched special operations raid in late January that left a Navy SEAL and several civilians dead. His administration also discreetly escalated the American air campaign against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in early March. … Syria: Trump ordered a cruise missile strike against an Assad-regime airfield in retaliation for the regime’s April 4 sarin nerve agent attack on civilians. … Somalia: Trump eased Obama-era restrictions on the use of force in Somalia, giving military commanders more freedom of action against the Al Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabab terrorist group. Dozens of American soldiers have since deployed to Somalia on a mission to train and equip the Somali National Army. … President Trump also quietly authorized an escalation of the air campaign in Yemen, with American strike aircraft hitting more targets in the first week of March than in any given year under President Obama.

Trump's "America First" foreign policy was characterized by unilateral actions and a disregard for traditional norms and foreign allies. His administration implemented a major arms sale to Saudi Arabia; denied citizens from six Muslim-majority countries entry into the United States; recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel; and brokered the Abraham Accords, a series of normalization agreements between Israel and various Arab states. Trump withdrew United States troops from northern Syria, allowing Turkey to occupy the area. His administration made a conditional deal with the Taliban to withdraw United States troops from Afghanistan in 2021. Trump met North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un three times. He withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear agreement and later escalated tensions in the Persian Gulf by ordering the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. The Trump administration sharply increased the frequency of drone strikes compared to the preceding Obama administration, in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, rollbacked transparency in reporting drone strike deaths, and reduced accountability. Trump actively supported the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen against the Houthis.

Beginning October 7, 2001, Operation Enduring Freedom is the U.S.-led effort to drive al-Qaeda and Taliban forces from power in Afghanistan. Other international conflicts and operations have followed. The following interventions and operations are covered in this section: American intervention in Yemen (2002–present); American intervention in the war in North-West Pakistan (2004–2018); second U.S. intervention in the Somali Civil War (2007–present); international intervention in Libya (2011) (2015–2019); American-led intervention in Syria (2014–present); American military intervention in Niger (2018–present). The U.S. became involved in the conflict [in Niger] following a 2017 ambush that killed four U.S. soldiers, as part of efforts to support Nigerien forces in their fight against terrorism. The U.S. military's presence in Niger was meant to provide training and support… and is ongoing as of January 2023.

The assassination of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani of Iran in an American drone strike in Baghdad on Jan. 3, 2020, marked a dangerous escalation in hostilities between the United States and Iran. The strike was ordered by President Trump… Iran responded by launching more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two air bases in Iraq housing American forces. The Trump administration said the strike was carried out under the president’s authority as commander in chief and pursuant to the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq, not under a new declaration of war.

2017 – 2020 Donald Trump's first presidential term marked a sharp departure from previous approaches to U.S. leadership in areas such as diplomacy and trade. His administration's foreign policy moments included the travel ban, the decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the summit meetings with Kim Jong Un, the withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, and the killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. The term did not feature a large-scale, congressionally declared new war, but it did involve numerous uses of military force and escalations in existing conflicts.

President Donald Trump has, in the past, described America's military involvement in the Middle East as “the worst decision ever made” and came into office promising to reduce overseas deployments. He has repeatedly criticized past interventions such as the Iraq War and the U.S. role in Libya, arguing that they squandered American lives and resources without clear benefit.

Key policy initiatives during Trump's first term included the United States withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, and changes in immigration policy. In foreign policy, Trump ordered a missile strike on a Syrian airbase in April 2017 following a chemical weapons attack, and he ordered a drone strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in January 2020. These actions were uses of military force within ongoing conflicts; there was no formal congressional declaration of a new war during his first term.

This policy analysis of Trump’s first term says the administration deployed the military to the U.S.-Mexico border and increased use of force short of conventional war. It is relevant background for understanding that the period featured military actions without a clearly new interstate war.

President Trump campaigned on the promise of “no new wars.” Meanwhile, he’s ordered more air strikes than any modern President, invaded seven different nations in his second term and is now putting American troops directly in harm’s way. The "anti-war" candidate has bombed seven countries and launched a new regime-change war in Iran. Angie … are you Pro -America ? IF you looked at this closer, Trump did not start this war, he is ending a 47-year war started by the Democrats, under the leadership of Jimmy Carter at the time. And numerous Presidents .. And we're not in a war or a prolonged fight. No boots on ground.

The Trump administration worked aggressively to turn back the clock on our nation's civil and human rights progress. Among many actions, it sought to expand the use of law enforcement and in some cases military or federal forces in domestic contexts, such as deploying federal personnel to respond to protests, but these actions did not constitute the initiation of new international wars.

While Trump denies campaigning on no new wars, Americans continue to pay the economic price for his war with Iran. The war in Iran is now over 100 days long. So we're in this war without congressional approval. Last week, the House passed with bipartisan support a War Powers Resolution. The commentary describes Trump’s maximum pressure campaign and military confrontation with Iran as a "war", even though no formal declaration of war was made and the situation consisted of escalatory strikes within an existing long-running conflict.

A general conflict list shows U.S. involvement in multiple ongoing conflicts during 2017–2021, including Yemen, Afghanistan, and Syria. It is a broad reference for the existence of military conflicts during Trump’s first term, though it is a tertiary source and less authoritative than official or journalistic records.

A Reddit user discussing U.S. politics wrote: “Instead of starting any new wars he simply continued the one he promised to end in Afghanistan…….” Another commenter noted that calling Trump a president who started “zero wars” ignores the nuance of escalatory actions such as the killing of Qassem Soleimani and the missile strikes on Syria. The thread reflects a popular talking point among Trump supporters that his administration did not initiate any new wars between 2017 and 2021, contrasted with other users pointing to limited military engagements and trade wars.

A social media post titled "A timeline of U.S. wars and conflicts since 1950" lists major wars and long-term conflicts involving the United States but does not identify any new major wars beginning between 2017 and 2021. The period is described primarily in terms of ongoing operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere that began under earlier administrations. The post’s author invites readers to suggest any conflicts that might have been missed, implying that no widely recognized new war was initiated by the U.S. in that timeframe.