The Federalists Reloaded | No. 4

Foreign Foes, Domestic Distraction: Through a Modern Lens

In Federalist No. 4, John Jay lays out two big ideas about national security that still hold in 2025.

First: Unity deters aggression. A coherent, stable, and self-governing nation is a much harder target for adversaries.

Second: Unity strengthens resolve, but only if balanced with checks. While a strong federal government is necessary, it must be guarded against corruption. That’s where Congress comes in, not as a speed bump, but as a safeguard.

Jay writes:

Wisely therefore do they consider Union and a good national Government as necessary to put and keep them in such a situation as instead of inviting war, will tend to repress and discourage it.

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Unity as Deterrent: How Meme Warfare Became Statecraft

Jay didn’t predict Instagram stories or meme stocks, but he knew disunity invites danger. And in 2025, it’s not boots on the ground, it’s bots in the feed.

Foreign adversaries, from Russia to China to Iran, have spent the last decade learning how to weaponize American discourse. They aren’t hacking our machines. They’re hacking our moods.

• In 2024, Russia-backed troll farms amplified divisive hashtags during the presidential primaries, targeting swing states with hyper-localized disinformation, some even posing as veteran support groups.

• Chinese influence campaigns exploited both sides of the Israel–Gaza conflict online, using AI-generated influencers to simultaneously stoke pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli outrage.

• Iranian cyber units used social media to circulate false information about a supposed federal plan to nationalize rural farms, sparking protests in the Midwest that disrupted commerce for three weeks.

The strategy? Stir resentment. Spread confusion. Make Americans believe their enemies are each other.

Jay warned us that disunion would make us vulnerable to foreign provocation. In 2025, our adversaries see disunion as an opportunity.

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Unity with Guardrails: One Voice, Not One Ruler

Jay also believed unity would help the U.S. stand firm against foreign influence or pressure. But there’s a 2025 twist: unity is only a strength if not concentrated in a single, unchecked figure.

Case in point: the now-infamous Qatari gift of a luxury jet to “assist” with Air Force One upgrades.

What was sold to the public as an “international gesture of goodwill” quickly became a scandal. On loan to a private foundation tied to the president’s family, the jet was quietly outfitted with Qatari-supplied crew, communications gear, and a custom in-flight entertainment system showcasing Gulf-sponsored media, literally “a palace in the sky.”

This was not soft diplomacy. It was soft bribery.

When too much power flows through one person, foreign interests have an efficient means to their objective. They just have to flatter, fund, and fly in a jet.

This is where Jay’s model meets modern reality. An absentee Congress is more dangerous than an aggressive chief executive. A unified executive is necessary for diplomacy and deterrence, but it becomes a shortcut to influence without congressional oversight.

Jay didn’t advocate for blind trust in power. He argued for unity with representation, unity backed by institutions, and a strong and balanced government with civic immune systems.

That’s why Congress matters. Not as a nuisance. As a circuit breaker.

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Political Influence for Sale: Crypto Edition

Corruption doesn't belong to one party. While the Qatari jet dominated headlines, another channel of foreign influence has gone mostly unchecked: Trump's crypto ventures.

In early 2025, the former president launched a new cryptocurrency in partnership with Gulf-based investors, complete with patriotic branding, exclusive NFTs, and a token pre-sale accessible to "preferred friends" overseas.

The coin surged in speculative value and was tied to several opaque international wallets tied to sovereign wealth funds. One watchdog group called this "foreign lobbying via blockchain."

Let’s be blunt: if you were outraged about “10 held for H for the big guy” stories from the Biden family taking foreign money, you don’t get to ignore this. Influence is influence, whether in a suitcase, a Gulfstream, or a QR code.

Jay didn’t need to imagine crypto to understand this: foreign money and unchecked power threaten liberty, and unity without integrity is just easier to buy.

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What Can We Do?

Jay’s wisdom holds up: we need unity, but not the kind that closes ranks around corruption. We need unity grounded in transparency, shared purpose, and real accountability. Here’s how we start:

• Strengthen Congressional oversight of executive travel, gifts, and private ventures. Require real-time disclosure of all high-value items or services received by current and former presidents, their families, or associated nonprofits.

• Regulate political crypto schemes like campaign contributions. Crypto wallets should be as traceable as a PAC. No backdoor funding from sovereign wealth funds, foreign shell companies, or influencers laundering influence in the form of “patriotic coins.”

• Strengthen the FEC as an independent watchdog and ensure transparency from foreign influence. Right now, the FEC provides very little meaningful enforcement; this should change in the modern era. Think of it as a watchdog with teeth that tracks lobbying, digital influence campaigns, and high-risk gifts and regularly reports to the public.

• Empower Congress to act as a constitutional check, regardless of party. If oversight dies on the altar of party loyalty, the republic goes with it. Demand procedural reforms to limit executive overreach, enforce congressional subpoenas, and ensure transparency across administrations.

• Invest in digital defense. If you like DOGE, then keep DOGE, but focus on doing the job right. Cybersecurity and digital audit teams should be fully staffed, independently monitored, and mission-driven.

• Build a civic culture that values seriousness. Reward politicians who govern, not those who perform. Celebrate compromise, not chaos. Stop electing memes and start supporting institutions. We used to prohibit members of Congress from outside enterprises, but now selling books, podcasts, arguing in show hearings, and cable news hits is more important than meeting with constituents. We should cut their pay and force them to spend no more than six calendar months in Washington, DC every year.

Jay believed in a strong central government because it helped protect the people. But protection isn’t permission. Institutions matter, and so does how we act within them.

Unity without guardrails is not patriotism, it’s a vulnerability.

Let’s take this moment not to shout louder, but to govern smarter.

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Final Word

Jay ends Federalist No. 4 by pointing out that the world is watching how we govern, and they will exploit any opportunity we hand them.

A wise and free people may reasonably think that the best means of preserving their liberty is to unite themselves under one government.

In 2025, we might add:

The best way to protect liberty is to ensure that unity doesn’t become a monopoly and that influence doesn’t come free with frequent flyer miles.

Disunity invites attacks. But unchecked unity invites corruption.

Jay’s blueprint is still relevant today. We just need to read it with clear eyes, and maybe turn off the rage-bait for a few minutes.