(RightWing.org) – Donald Trump took a hardline approach to foreign policy during his first term in office. As president, he tailored his administration’s diplomatic and overseas defense strategies to conform with his “America First” vision for the country, an apt parallel to his “Make America Great Again” stance. A recent report discussed what a second term with the former president at the helm, aided by his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), might look like on the global stage.
On July 24, Fox News published an opinion piece penned by retired US Marine Corps Colonel Grant Newsham, a two-time military attaché at the US Embassy in Tokyo and the author of “When China Attacks: A Warning to America.”
Titled “Trump-Vance Foreign Policy: US Helps Those Who Help Themselves,” the article predicted that the former president would take a similar approach to his first term’s foreign policy objectives. For instance, he discussed Taiwan in a recent interview with Trump (you can read our report here).
Asked about his stance on Taiwan’s defense, Trump said, “Taiwan should pay us [the US] for defense.” He likened American support to the services provided by an “insurance company.” And, as everyone knows, a good one costs money.
That position echoes the one Trump maintained throughout his presidency regarding America’s role in NATO. The former president frequently criticized other member states for not meeting their financial commitments to the alliance — a mere 2% of their respective GDPs.
Trump viewed America’s role as a global protector as transactional. That is, he believed US involvement in foreign defense was contingent on its allies’ contributions. He maintained this quid pro quo approach throughout his first term and has indicated he would maintain it while campaigning for a second term.
Newsham also discussed former President Bill Clinton’s secretary of state, the recently deceased Madeleine Albright, as an example of Democrat-led foreign policy failures. Newsham pointed to her willingness to send US troops overseas without first establishing legitimate political objectives.
The retired Marine reminded readers that she once rebuked then-Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Colin Powell by asking him what the point was in having a “superb military […] if we can’t use it?” The two were discussing sending troops to Bosnia.
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