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Perhaps nothing symbolizes more than the shift from Mitt Romney to Donald Trump’s foreign policy, from the old-school Reagan Republican Party to the Maga-style Republican Party that dominates politics today.
In 2012, then-Republican presidential candidate Romney famously called Russia “without question our greatest geopolitical enemy.” Democrats dismissed him as a fool in a world where Al Qaeda and China are on the rise. Barack Obama chided him and said, “The 1980s are now calling for a return to foreign policy, because the Cold War has been over for 20 years.”
Russia’s annexation of Crimea, interference in the 2016 presidential election, and full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 vindicated Mr. Romney and demonstrated the threat posed by President Vladimir Putin. But by that point, the Republican Party had broken away from the worldview of Reagan, Bush, and Romney and embraced another person: businessman-turned-politician Donald Trump.
At a rally in South Carolina this weekend, President Trump told the heads of state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations, who have spoken out about Russia during his time in office, that “if countries don’t pay their obligations,” Recalling his remark, he almost provoked President Putin to invade European countries. “I won’t protect you. In fact, I’d encourage them to do whatever they want.”
This statement directly contradicts Article 5 of the NATO Charter, which stipulates that all NATO members respond to attacks against a single member state. NATO famously mobilized to assist the United States after the September 11th terrorist attacks. Naturally, Mr. Romney condemned this comment.
“He says outrageous things to infuriate people,” Romney said. independent person. “It works in rallying. Unfortunately, it’s affecting the world, and our friends are wondering if they can rely on America.”
But Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, a pro-Trump Republican, defended the former president using an old adage thrown around by many during Trump’s time in the White House.
“What I know is that he will secure our borders, make this country safer and hold NATO accountable,” he said Sunday in Kansas City Chiefs regalia ahead of the Super Bowl. told me. “And I think people need to understand that everything he says should be taken seriously, but not literally.”
To be sure, some Republicans took President Trump’s words seriously. Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, a veteran of the military, called President Trump’s words “terrible,” and my colleague from Iowa, Chuck Grassley, told me, “No American should do anything to appease Russia.” should not do anything.” Even Sen. Rand Paul, a liberal Republican from Kentucky, told me that President Trump’s words were “stupid statements,” even though he agreed that NATO countries are not paying their full share. .
Meanwhile, Sen. Josh Hawley, who led the opposition to the 2020 presidential election, initially laughed, saying, “NATO countries definitely need to pay,” but added, “I don’t think they invaded NATO countries.” If so, we will have to protect them,” he added. , so we don’t want that. ”
Republicans like Mr. Hawley and Mr. Paul belong to a younger generation of Republicans who oppose a strong U.S. role on the international stage. Indeed, Trump’s words come as Paul seeks to delay and oppose his Senate policy to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel and Indo-Pacific allies to fight back against China. .
This comes after months of negotiations between a bipartisan group of senators, where Republicans had pushed for additional measures to restrict immigration in exchange for military aid. This shows how the system is moving. Of course, Republicans rejected this outright. Mr. Paul’s senior senator, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, voted against the policy despite his support for Ukraine.
Pro-MAGA conspiracy theorist Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia has threatened to file a motion to resign against Speaker Mike Johnson if he passes aid to Ukraine. Opposition to Ukraine, or at least support for it without preconditions, and a major role for the United States on the international stage have become defining points of Republican ideology.
For the time being, white evangelical support for Israel, rooted primarily in belief in apocalyptic theology, has secured support for Israel. But Republicans like Greene still opposed the standalone bill last week.
However, if the Republican Party takes President Trump’s words seriously, it means that the international community has also taken them seriously. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines the overall security of our countries, including the United States, and puts American and European soldiers at risk.” Stated. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized President Trump’s comments, calling them “irresponsible and dangerous.”
The mixed reactions ultimately reveal a lot about international leaders and the state of Republican politics. For Republicans, opposing Trump or taking a stand against him all too strongly signals political death. In fact, Mr. Romney will leave the Senate after one term. Other Republicans, like Hawley, are hopeful that Trump will be the future of the Republican Party once he leaves office. As members, they also have the obvious luxury of being able to restrain him or enact statutes to prevent him from acting on his worse impulses, but this is less true in Parliament than in the House of Commons. This is something that the Senate would be happy to do as an adult.
But international leaders have no choice but to take President Trump’s words seriously. And given President Trump’s loud insinuations and previous respect for President Putin, they may have more foresight than domestic Republicans.