Editor’s note: Big Tent Ideas always aims to provide balancing perspectives on the hottest issues of the day. Below is a column from commentator Judah Friedman arguing that former President Donald Trump would make the best commander in chief because of his foreign policy track record. You can find a counterpoint here, where former Trump official Alexander Gray argues that Ron DeSantis has the foreign policy chops to be president.
It’s easy to forget President Trump’s foreign policy achievements. For a few reasons. One, obviously, is the media, barely, if at all covering them; two, in all honesty, he made it look easy; and three, while obviously Democrats never gave him credit, neither did the cabal of the Deep State Republicans in the Senate. There is no need to mention names but at least three of their last names start with “M.”
Here is a small list of his “never worth mentioning” achievements.
Remember that “Junior Varsity” team known as ISIS, brought upon us by Bush’s catastrophic foreign policy blunder and continued by Obama’s deliberate ineptitude and capitulation to the Muslim world? Remember how they were causing sheer terror in the Middle East and parts of Europe? Well President Trump let generals be generals and within the first year of his presidency ISIS was destroyed. All of this as he was being investigated and being forced to have a cognition test. (RELATED: GORDON CHANG: What’s The Difference Between The Chinese Government And The Mob?)
Let’s not forget when he dropped the Moab in Afghanistan that left Tucker Carlson and Ann Coulter apoplectic. We didn’t hear much from Syria for the next 3 years, did we? Who can forget Little Rocket Man, who was going to lead the Koreans to a sure war. It seemed like every 7 years North Korea would get an itch and both parties would pay them off. Not President Trump. Trying to extort money from Trump is like trying to get him to release his tax returns voluntarily. It isn’t going to happen.
Moreover, from getting us out of to the Iran Nuclear Deal to moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the elites of both parties said this was going to cause chaos. Well of course it didn’t. Other countries subsequently followed suit and still do to this day. And of course, his crowning achievement, the Abraham Accords. When he promised peace in that region so many scoffed. It’s far from perfect, of course, and as long as you have Iran being Iran it never will be. So, when he says that he will broker peace between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours is there any reason to doubt him? Russia didn’t do any invading during his 4 years. It’s so interesting how everybody selectively forgets Crimea. Then of course there was China and the tariffs and the unfounded predictions of a catastrophic world market fallout. How dare he weaponize tariffs? Well President Trump did just that and it worked. China wasn’t threatening to invade Taiwan. They weren’t threatening the world and they weren’t Putin’s sugar daddy. I almost forgot NAFTA. The list goes on. Oh, what about getting our NATO partners to pay up? There has been no better foreign policy president in my lifetime, and I was born in 1976. President Trump is and was a visionary. He realized that the Europe we knew existed no longer for a myriad of reasons, the biggest being mass migration. He knew that the new Europe was to be the old Middle East, and, not to sound trite, that is where money and innovation are. For all those who say it’s blood money, we would not be doing business with anyone if that were the litmus test. (RELATED: RASHEED WALTERS: The Case For Donald Trump)
Lastly, President Trump knows how to handle the brutal dictators no Republican or Democrat ever knew how to deal with. From his years in business he learned that, even if it was just for show, these dictators needed to be treated with the appearance of respect. He knew, referencing them as his friend or pal, would disarm them. The media, the left and the establishment have always, and still do, take him literally, not figuratively. But those brutal dictators were able to read between the lines and our nation had peace and very little bloodshed for four years. Does anybody really think Trump would have pulled America out of Kabul the way Biden did?
I didn’t bring up a Ron DeSantis, nor did I bring up any other comparisons because honestly there is no point. Yes, he’s an amazing governor. But he has no foreign policy experience. Why should we expect him to do anything differently? Other than Israel has he ever left the country? We know who did it differently and we know who did it well. DeSantis, maybe for 2028, with just a piece of advice, learn about the world not just Disney World.
Judah Friedman is co-host and producer of The World According to Ben Stein podcast, heard live every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 10 PM ET. On Rumble. A writer of conservative comments, he considers himself Ben Stein’s Boswell.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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