He mocked John McCain’s capture in Vietnam, validated autocrats by his platitudes, challenged long-standing military and security alliances, and adopted an isolationist worldview. It worked to the horror many GOP leaders, and resonated with voters who believed that Washington’s bipartisan establishment had facilitated trade deals that were harmful for American workers, and that recklessly they had entered into so-called “forever” wars.
Trump’s invasion of Ukraine by Russia is proving to be a significant test for his America First doctrine. This is at a time when Trump is considering another run for the presidency and is using this year’s midterm elections as a way to bend the GOP to his will. Trump is not alone in his praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin as “smart”, a claim he repeated last Wednesday during speeches to donors, conservative activists and others. Late Friday, he split with his often deferential vice-president, Mike Mike Pence.
Trump’s repeated attacks on multilateral partnerships have allowed the West to band together quickly to cripple Russia’s economy through coordinated sanctions. Trump used to dismiss NATO as “obsolete” but now it is using its power as a counterweight to Russia’s aggression.
Perhaps the most important thing is that the war serves as a reminder to the U.S. that it can’t ignore the problems of the world, according to observers.
Richard Haass (president of the Council on Foreign Relations, a former diplomat) said that “This is a stark wake-up call for both parties that we are not going to be in a position to do less in this world.” “We will have to do more.”
He said that while large parts of both parties showed a desire for inward change, the current situation presents a “special problem” for Republicans and “America firsters”, who previously attempted to portray Russia as a benign actor.
He said, “The whole thrust of America First was, I would argue in a world that what happens anywhere can, and will affect us,”
If the war escalates or stretches beyond Ukraine, it is not clear if the Western unity against Russia will be sustained. Many Americans approach this moment cautiously after decades of U.S. foreign policies failures, such as the Iraq War and the failed withdrawal from Afghanistan.
According to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, only 26% of Americans supported the U.S. playing a major part in the conflict on the eve.
However, Trump’s global approach is not without its challenges.
Sweden and Finland have given up their neutrality and are open to the idea joining NATO. This is an alliance Trump continues to criticize this week. Germany, a country Trump spent many years trying to persuade into spending more defense funds, broke his long-standing post-World War II strategy and sent anti-tank weapons to Ukraine. It also pledged to significantly increase its defense budget.
Trump and his allies insist Russia wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine if he were still president. Russia didn’t make any aggressive moves under his watch. Former aides credit Trump’s erratic behavior, direct threats and uncertainty about how Trump would react to a provocation.
Roger Zakheim was the Washington director for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. He credited Trump with deterring Putin. He said that Putin had “validated” the need for allies invest more in their security and defence.
“I believe President Trump was able, at least in relation to Ukraine, to deter Vladimir Putin. He said that this was due to unpredictability which was valuable in deterring an autocrat such as Vladimir Putin. He said that Putin’s actions were “so brazen, so aggressive and so immoral” and had “deemphasized the differences” between different foreign policy approaches.
The war brings back the focus on Trump’s controversial role in Ukraine during his tenure. This includes the way he used the defense of the country to bargain for better domestic political standing.
Trump was impeached in the first instance for trying to press Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden, his 2020 Democratic opponent, and Hunter Biden, his son. This effort involved securing nearly $400 million of U.S. security assistance to Ukraine, and leveraging an Oval Office trip that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zilenskyy requested.
Trump also discredit claims that Ukraine had interfered in the 2016 elections, and he repeatedly sided with Putin over his national intelligence agencies.
“Putin may be the critical agent, but certain Trump contributed to it back then and continued to do so by undermining our national security,” stated Alexander Vindman (retired U.S. Army lieutenant Colonel), who was a whistleblower about Trump’s pressure tactics. “Ultimately, the president undermined U.S. Foreign Policy because he weakened Ukraine.”
Trump is keen to play a major role in the midterm elections this year and possibly run for president again in 2024. However, he has not shown any interest in calibrating his approach towards Putin.
Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of State, has been setting the stage for his potential presidential run. He has mostly abandoned the language he used before the invasion when he called Putin “very competent” and stated that he had an “enormous respect” for him. Tucker Carlson, Fox News’ popular host, also questioned why he should not side with Russia, said, “We’ve just been taken by the whole thing.”
Trump has been left relatively isolated by this, defending his decision not to call Putin “smart” while criticizing Biden and other Western leaders’ response, as well as denouncing the invasion as “horrific” as well as a “very sad event for the world.”
He said on Fox Business this week that NATO has the money, but they aren’t doing the job they should do. “It almost seems like they’re staying away.”
This has drawn rebuke from his party.
Pence made a strong defense of NATO in a speech Friday night to GOP donors. He also rebuked those who had defended Putin while he weighs a presidential run.
According to prepared remarks, he stated that “there is no place in this party for apologists Putin.” “There are only champions for freedom.”
Fox News was told by Mitch McConnell, Senate Republican Leader.
McConnell said, “He’s an ax man. McConnell stated that he was a murderer. McConnell stated, “He’s been on a rampage and this won’t end well for him.”
Chris Stirewalt is a senior fellow at right-leaning American Enterprise Institute and a contributing editor to The Dispatch. He said that Russia’s invasion in Ukraine is fundamentally different to the wars against Iraq and Afghanistan, which turned large swathes of American public against foreign intervention, and which Trump was able use to his political advantage.
He said that Putin had undone so many of the things Trump and the nationalists in America had done to alter the global order.
